Three's Company
by ceag94075
Summary: Carly's so psyched to have Jack Atlas as a boyfriend. He's so strong, kind, and protective of her. But with him working in the garage with the boys, she sometimes get's lonely. She wasn't sure how to cope with being away from him, until he bumps into her.
1. Chapter 1

Three's Company

Epilogue: Takes place several months after the Dark Signer's defeat. I do not nor will I ever own Yugioh 5Ds. This is my very first story so, please go easy on me. Thank You.

Summary: _Carly's so psyched to have Jack as a boyfriend. He's strong, kind, and protective. But with him working in the garage with the boys, she sometimes get's lonely until he comes back. She wasn't sure how to cope, until something bumps into her one winter night…_

POV's: Jack, Carly, Normal, and Magnus ;)

**Chapter 1:**

-Normal POV

It was a cold, bitter day in February. Jack was with Carly, walking her home after a pleasant evening together at the movies. Carly was huddling close to Jack, shaking furiously from the icy wind.

"Jack," Carly shouts over the wind, "I wish you and the boys could've made a dueling car or something. One with a nice heater, good gas mileage, and furry seats!"

"Aw, c'mon Carly!" Jack snickers, "Where's your backbone? There's nothin' like a good brisk from the wind to wake you up after sitting through a long movie. One, might I add, that _you picked out_!"

"What's wrong with _The Regular Customer_!?"

"It's a chick flick about some girl who didn't have the nerve to ask a guy out who goes to the same diner almost every day! At the end, the chick looses the guy to another girl that actually talks to the guy! What the hell's the point!?!" Jack screams to the top of his lungs.

Carly rolls her eyes and shakes her head. "Sounds a little like that waitress where you get your Blue Mountain coffee from, right Jack?" Jack stares at her like she's crazy.

"Waitress?" Jack shouts, "What waitress?"

"The girl at the café." Carly explains.

"Doesn't sound familiar."

"The red-head who gives you your coffee every time!"

"Doesn't ring a bell."

"But…The girl who..! Ugh, never mind." Carly notices that they're almost at her front house. "Hey Jack! Do you think that you can keep me company, just for tonight? You haven't been at my house for a long time!" Carly hugs Jack, looking at him dreamily through her glasses.

"No can do, temptation." Jack signs, obviously disappointed "Yusei, Crow, and Bruno want me back at the shack by midnight in order to add a new program to my Duel Runner."

"But Jack-"

Jack holds up his hands and shakes his head. "I'm sorry, Carly. I want to stay, but ol' mother hen says that I have a curfew for now on. Sad little birdbrain of a- (sign). Listen, I'll make it up to you another time, I promise." He gives a quick but affectionate kiss on the lips to Carly. Before she could complain, he hops on his Duel Runner and revs it up in a heartbeat. "I'll be back tomorrow at noon, I, Jack Atlas, promise you." Jack shouts as he drives away in a cloud of snow and smoke.

-Jack's POV

_I want to stay with her, really I do! But I already promise to be home for my runner's inspection by tomorrow. Sorry Carly, but Crow and Bruno just won't have it. Carly'll probably give me a shoulder colder than the wind on my face. I swear, if I'm getting misery, I'm taking those three bozos with me! _

-Carly's POV

_I stand there, a little bit stunned at first, but mostly sad. Jack and I barely ever get to spend time together anymore. Humph, he just had to be with a team of big shot duelists as well as a mechanic! But still, at least he has friends to spend a cold night with. The closest thing that I have to a friend is my stuffed animals._

_Oh, well mid as well get inside before I freeze to-_AAAHHH!

-Normal POV

Carly is hit from behind by a projectile gliding on the ice. She falls on her butt and quickly gets up to run in the house. Carly, as she struggled to find her house keys, imagined the thing that hit her was a mugger who slipped on the ice trying to attack her, or worse. But when she slowly turns around, she noticed that her attacker looks a little odd. As a matter of fact, he doesn't appear human…

-Magnus' POV

_Ooh, my head! I think I hit something fragile! I knew it was a bad idea to try and outrun him on a frozen sidewalk. C'mon boy, get up! You can't let him catch you! You can't let him lock you up again! You-_

-Normal POV

Carly steps down from her front steps, slowly towards the stranger. She can hear him struggling against his sore muscles to get back up again. Despite her better judgment, Carly kneels down to help the poor creature up. The stranger takes a sideways glance at her, but was too tired to struggle.

Carly holds him by the midsection and brings him to the light to reveal the stranger. Bluish-gray eyes stare back at her, as well as dark-gray fur, a snow covered muzzle, and a questionable whimper.


	2. Chapter 2

Epilogue: Thank you for your comments. I'm still taking writing lessons, so I'll get better over time! I promise that my chapters will be longer and a little more detailed for now on. Please enjoy!

**Chapter 2:**

-Magnus' POV

_Who...is...this? I-Is she here to hurt me, or help me? She looks innocent, but then again, I thought __**they **__were innocent as well. My instincts tell me that she means no harm but...! Wait! Oh no!_

-Normal POV

The blue-gray dog turns his head sharply, eyes wide and ears pointing to the top of the hill. Carly follows his gaze to see a large van with blinding headlights rolling down the hill towards them. The lights and dark sky made it hard to picture it clearly, but Carly is positive that the van is white with writing on the side.

"Oh, poor boy!" Carly exclaims, "The dogcatcher must be looking for you! Without your collar, you'll probably never find your owner in time! Wait here!"

Carly leaves the dog to go open her front door. The white van is speeding towards them faster and faster, lights piercing her eyes from the side. The dog finds the strength to get up and run by her side. He yelps and scratches at Carly's door while she fights the lock. "Hold on, boy! I'm moving as fast as I can!" Carly whispers, hoping that the dog will keep his barking down. "This is the last time I put my car keys and my office keys on the same ring!" The dog barks insanely, mortified that the van will stop in front of the house.

-Magnus

_Hurry, hurry! Please hurry! I don't know who you are, but I'd rather be in a river just to get away from them! And I can't swim for biscuits! AAAHH!! They're getting closer! Please open! Please open! Please open!!!_

-Normal

It opens.

The dog rushes into the small crack as the door opens up, yelping as he dodges into Carly's open room door. At least she didn't have to worry about coaxing him inside. The white van zooms by without slowing down, kicking up slush and water before disappearing into the darkness. Carly glances at the side to make out the writing, but the truck was speeding at such a velocity that she couldn't even make out the license plate. The van goes through a yellow light at top speed and fades to black.

-Carly

_O.K. Weird...I've never seen a dogcatcher drive so high above the speed limit. Ha! I hope he gets a ticket. So, where'd the doggie go?_

-Normal

Carly enters her home, double locking the door behind her. Before she looks for the dog, she rushes over to check the windows and pull the blinds closed. The last thing she needs is the same people who scared the little sweetheart to death busting down her door.As soon as she felt safe, she goes to turn on all of the lights.

Carly's home was a moderate one-story, 5-room apartment with cozy furniture and walled paintings. There was a long couch in front of a 36-inch TV, a desk at the side corner with an old lamp, thin carpets on most of the floor, and three closed doors and an opening to the kitchen. Carly goes to fetch water for the dog, when she notices that the door to her room was closed. She left it open this morning before heading out, so how the dog closed it? _Oh well_,_ he probably just used his nose. _Carly thought. _I'm sure some water and a bed of my old blankets would calm him down. _She fetches a bowl from the top cabinet and fills it with sink water. As she set the bowl at the foot of the door, she cracks her bedroom door to find her furry friend. The light peaks in and most of him is underneath her bed, aside from his tail which shivers along with the rest of his body. Carly imagines that sad little puppy coming from an abused owner, mistreated and left to starve to death. She tiptoes to her bed where he was hiding, thinking how he must be scared and fragile

-Magnus

_Phew! I can feel my toes again! As soon as the rest of me warm up, I'll stop shivering uncontrollably. Huh? Oh, it's her. I can smell her frosty hair and wool sweater from the sheets. _(Sniff-Sniff) _She brought water, too! She is a good soul, must be my lucky-wait! What's that other smell?_

-Normal

Carly coos and praises the dog as he slowly crawl's from the bed and stretches. As he stands to his full height, Carly notices that he was a lot bigger than she thought. As he sat down and tilts his head cutely, the tip of his pointed ears past her stomach. His gentle eyes stare at her from a body of spiky fur. His coat was a beautiful shade of light gray around the body, and slowly wanes near his head as his fur changes to a mask of coal black. The tip of his tail was such a light gray it was practically white, and his paws were the same blue-gray color as his eye. After staring at the canine for what felt like an eternity, Carly kneels down to the dog's height to show she means no harm, but she felt a little afraid when the dog towered her as she bowed. But when the beautiful stray approached her with head down and no intention to kill, Carly breathed a sigh of relief.

"Oh, silly me!" Carly whispered as she stroked his head, "You're probably so scared you wouldn't harm a fly! Your coat feels so soft and clean, it's hard to believe you were abandoned." He ignores her gentle words and begins to sniff at her midsection very carefully. "Hey! That tickles!" Carly begins to laugh as the dog continues to nudge her stomach. "But you're so cute when you act like that, yes you are, yes you...."

-Magnus

_What is this odor? Your snow and powder fragrance is clashed by another metallic scent! It's faint, but I can smell motor oil and huge amounts of Dyne*. I don't like this. Carly, you better be careful! My instincts say that the stranger who left this is going to be back. He might attack, he could be armed, and...are you making baby faces at me?"_

-Normal

The dog sat there half frozen as Carly puffed her cheeks and blow kisses at him, saying how cute and fluffy he is. '_This is still better than the van, this is still better than the van'. _The dog states in his head_ 'I think. I wonder if it's too late to try my luck in the river?'_

"You're such a cutie-pitutie!" Carly teases as the dog sits and stares. A big sweat drop is visible on his head. "You're so cute, and big, and your coat is so pretty. I think you can understand me! Aww, you're smiling!"

The stray was grinning painfully, hoping that Carly would play along…

Carly stood to her full height and walked over to the bookshelf in the living area. "Well, I can't address you properly without a proper name!" Carly states as she reached for a large white book at the top of the shelf. "That kooky boyfriend of mine said that I might need this one day for something important, but I guess I could make an exception." Carly winks as she sits on the couch and flips through the pages. The dog bounces up to the seat next to her, eyeing her curiously.

'_What are you up to, alpha female?' _Magnus states.

"O.K.," Carly begins, "let's see if any of these words pop out for you. Ready? Umm….Reggie!" The dog stares at her with big eyes. "I guess not. How about, Francis! Ricardo? Sylvester...? Paul! Alberto? Cameron? Davidson? What about Goliath!" The dog tilts his head. "Alright, alright. I'll keep looking." She leafs through the pages as the pooch steps down.

'_I refuse to let you go through +__100,000__Baby__Names__ without a hint.' _Magnus sighs. ;)

He strolls to the coffee table and barks repeatedly to get Carly's attention. She leaves the book on the couch to see what the dog was going crazy over. When Carly stands near the table, the gray dog paws at a board game on the table.

"Scrabble! That's it!" Carly shouts as she empty the game tiles onto the floor, "You could probably spell out your name, like that dog did in that book that…um…he was smart and, uh…never mind, I can't remember*. But here!" She spreads the tiles out evenly so that all the letters were facing up. "C'mon, boy! C'mon! Spell your name! You can do it!"

The dog has a little trouble moving the letters at first, but he was eventually able to arrange five crooked letters in order on the floor. Carly reads the sloppy message carefully.

"M-ag-n-us? Mag-nus? Magnus! Your name is Magnus!" Carly states as the dog barks happily and licks her face. "Ha-ha-ha-ha, alright! Down boy! Oh, hold on!" Carly gets up and hastens to her computer, which is always on during the day. She jumps to the internet for a naming site, and types in Magnus under the search engine. "Magnus!" she reads, "It says it's Latin for big or great. Pretty appropriate for a large gray dog like you!" Carly smiles as Magnus barks happily. "And while I'm on…" Carly goes to a universal dog breed website. "Large dog, gray, pointed ears, long tail, about 25 inches high standing on all fours." When the results came up, Carly had to scan it three times until she realized what Magnus was.

"Here it is! Sort of." She clicks on a site for a dog slightly different than Magnus. "No, this is right! It says that you're a rare breed from the Belgian Shepherd Tervuren family, a working dog! It says that your breed has been used in things from tournament dog shows to avalanche rescue missions! Ooh, I have a pedigree!" She hugs Magnus by the neck and logs off the computer. "Well, it did state you were an unusual gray color, but we'll figure that more in the morning." Carly goes back to the couch, reshelf the baby book, and heads over to another closed door.

"I'll be taking a bath and getting ready for bed, Magnus. You can make yourself comfortable on my bed." Carly bounces cheerfully into the bathroom, singing a toneless tune that only she could like.

-Magnus

_Carly is indeed a strange human, a little goofy as well, but she's still a blessing in disguise to my eyes. Ha ha, someone up there likes me. _

I paw my way into Carly's bedroom, and then I hear something that freezes me in my tracks. The knob to his angel's front door is jiggling, and I can hear a key being inserted and the tumblers moving.

_Gasp! Someone's coming inside! I bet it's them! How did they find me so soon?!? I gotta disappear, fast!_

The front door opens as I hide underneath Carly's bed sheets. My body was completely covered by the thick comforter, and only my nose was exposed at the top. I couldn't see him to clearly, but I could just make out the familiar smell of oil and Dyne. Thank the heavens that Carly is in the-! Oh no! Carly! He's probably a thief or a murderer! Or one of them from the van! I gotta do something!

I shift and grunt underneath the sheets, making as much noise as possible. If I could just...Yes! The stranger is coming this way! I shift some more, until he was all most to the bed.

"_There you are, you little fox!" _came a thick, serpent voice,_ "You thought you could hide from me, didn't you?"_

I make a chuffing sound with the back of my throat. It almost sounds like a human coughing.

"_Now, now, you feisty little thing. You don't have to get touchy. You know I promised I would be back!" _He leans over me, rubbing the sheet over my body with one hand.

I make another sound in my mouth, this one sounding like a deep **'** **uhgh!'**

"_Don't make me beg!" _He towers over the foot of the bed, clutching the sheets at the bottom._ "I promised I would make it alright, didn't I? And I aim-to-KEEP IT!!"_

He yanks back the sheets, and I leap for him. I twist my body around in a fury of fur, much to the stranger's surprise! He was probably expecting a helpless girl or a frightened dog, but he is dead wrong!

Through my wolf-like growl and my open mouth armed with teeth, I could just make out the stranger's horrified face and wide, violet eyes.

* Dyne was the mineral in the show used to make the best D-Wheels. I'm not positive if Jack's runner has Dyne, but oh well.

*This statement was in honor of one of my favorite books: _Watchers_ by Dean Koontz


	3. Chapter 3

Sorry this one is a little short-handed. I'm still not used to being the new writer on the block. But I hope you're enjoying my story as much as I enjoy writing them! Here you go! :)

**Chapter 3:**

-Jack

I arrive at the garage five minutes before eleven. My runner rolls into one of the open garage doors as my headlights flood the ground floor. I see Crow, Bruno, and Yusei fixin' up Crow's runner with a new set of tires. Crow's been saving up for those expensive drifting tires for weeks.

"Eh Crow!" I shout to that prickly-hair punk. "Those tires sure did cost a pretty penny. You sure they're worth 2 months worth of delivery money?"

"Laugh it up, Jack!" Crow shoots back. "Bruno said these tires are guaranteed to make my baby glide across the track. They may be lighter, but their traction to the road is perfect for high speed duels!"

"You sure it's better than a cup o' coffee?"

"Yes! And can you _ever_ pay for a cup of Joe that doesn't rack up our bill?!"

I shrug and walk away from him. "Sure, as soon as they make a better Blue Ice Mountain coffee. But until then, how 'bout giving my runner that pointless tune up that you people have been naggin' me 'bout."

Yusei stood up to face me. "This isn't pointless, Jack. Bruno just wants to increase its speed by 23%. We'll be done with it in half an hour."

"Good! Than you can start right now!" I strut over to the couch to rest my head. Yusei and Bruno stare at each in question, and Bruno comes up to me.

"Now? I mean, sure we could do it now, but you don't want to wait until morning?" Bruno asks hesitantly.

I stood up from the couch so quick that Bruno fell back on his butt. "Yes, now! I had to cut my date with Carly short because of mother goose over there," I point bitterly at Crow. "and I promised her that I would be back soon. Ehh, she probably hates my guts right 'bout now..." I sigh as I get up from the couch. I walk to my runner and popped the hatches, so that Yusei can hook up the sensors and data collectors. "So, let's have the program and get on with it."

They three of them all looked at each other with an awkward glance. "All right, Jack." Yusei joked. "It'll be ready in 35 minutes."

"I'll give y'all 40." I rev my runner to top speed and listen to the gorgeous yet deafening roar it made."Listen to that The others don't appreciate my irreplaceable runner. Just because they're covering their ears to shield the runner's thunder, doesn't mean they can't show a little appreciation for it.

"Jack!" Bruno screams to the top of his lungs. "Turn it down! It's too loud!"

"Knock it off, Jack!" Yusei yells, eyes startin' to water and teeth chattering.

"TURN IT OFF, ATLAS!!!" Crow's shouts were almost as loud as the runner.

"SORRY!" I snicker at the poor victims. "I-CAN'T-HEAR-YOU!"

-Half an Hour Later-

I laugh and snickered all the way to Carly's house after nearly killing my teammates with monster engine sounds and carbon monoxide. I'm back on the road where I belong, driving to my date's home in a brisk winter night. Funny, but I think it's warmer at night than in the day. As I calm myself down at 40 mph, I see two floodlights staring at me and coming at me twice as fast as I was going. I swerve out of the way just before that brute in the white van almost ran me over.

"Slow down, psycho!" I yell behind me. "Y'all ain't the king of the highway, 'Cuz I'm suppose ta be the king of the highway." I shot a dirty look at the van, and noticed that the rear license plate was completely illegible. I know it was dark and everythin', but I swear their plate didn't even have any letters or numbers on it. Just a bunch of funny lookin' signs and symbols. I was so cold I didn't even care for too long.

I glide to Carly's building, being careful because of all the ice on her side of the sidewalk. I wonder if she hurt herself on the ice. I see skid marks where her shoes were when I left her. I walk up to the front door and try to open it. Locked, and she used the second master padlock above the doorknob. Odd, she never used the second lock before. I also noticed that there was scratch marks on the right side of the door. Some big animal must've been itchin' at her door for some reason. Hopefully Carly's just inside, hiding under her

I fish out the spare house key from my coat pocket and try my luck. Carly's old doorknob is rusty, and sometimes you gotta fight it in order to get it open. The door opens and I enter the house. The first thing I noticed was that there's Scrabble pieces all over the floor in one corner. What was she doing since I was gone?

I hear shuffling coming from her bedroom, like a certain someone was just climbin' into bed. I sneak over to the open door and peek inside. My little flower was tucked in, looking a little small.

"There you are, you little fox!"I said seductively,"You thought you could hide from me, didn't you?"

All I get as a reply was a cough and a little shaking. _'Sweetheart must've caught a cold.' _I snicker. I'll give her a wakeup call she won't soon forget!

"Now, now, you feisty little thing. You don't have to get touchy. You know I promised I would be back!" I lean over and begin rubbing her back gently. Carly definitely looks smaller in bed.

I get another primitive reply, this time it was a deep **'uhgh!'**. Geez, these winter colds hit you hard...

So I thought of two possible ways I can approach this. I can either choose A, be the responsible boyfriend and leave her alone to warm up 'til morning. Or choose B, be the freaky boyfriend, pull back the sheets for the cold to snap her awake, and wrestle her until she submits to me, a King. My mouth pulls back with a sin-like grin. _I choose B!_

"Don't make me beg!" I grab the edge of the sheets, getting ready for a wrestle match. "I promised I would make it alright, didn't I? And I aim-to-KEEP IT!!"

I yanked the sheet clear off the bed, expecting a frustrated yet playful little tramp to snuggle with. I didn't expect a mass of gray fur on the bed, and a long, black face snarling at me. The beast lunged at me as I backed up against the wall with a _**thud**_! The creature lunges at me with a mouth of white teeth and gray eyes meet mine.

_'Nhaa!' were my only thoughts, 'Maybe I should've picked B...'_

*Chapters 2 and 3 covered all the major POV's for all of you! Our story will progress as normal in Chapter 4.


	4. Chapter 4

*I'm so happy! People really like my story! I promise to write and update my chapters as fast as my fingers can type. Please keep in contact with me!

*We now return to our regularly scheduled mayhem, already in progress!

**Chapter 4:**

-Normal

Magnus soars through the air like a dark blue knife, muzzle open wide with wolfish fangs and hungry eyes. Jack was backed against the wall, frozen and staring at disbelief. Magnus was no more than a foot away and aiming for Jack's exposed jugular. With 65 lbs of muscle heading at point blank range, there's no way that Jack could survive this. Somehow, Jack was able to actually crack a smile in the last few second of peace.

"Damn mutt." Jack states as he disappears.

Magnus may have been fast, but Jack's reflexes were quicker. He was able to purposely trip himself so that he would fall to the side, avoiding the attack, while still having his back against the wall. Magnus, realizing his error, was only able to have enough time to shut his mouth and twist his body slightly so that the side of his body would hit the wall with a booming _thud_! Jack quickly rolls to his feet and jumps over the bed, one hand at the middle of the bed to steer himself. Magnus lands on his forelegs and scrambles on the floor, leaping over the bed with impressive speed and snarling with hatred at this so-called superman.

Before Magnus leaps at him again, Jack was already at the window at the opposite side of the bed. He successful yanks off Carly's linen drapes right out of the hooks. With not time to pull the curtains off, Jack spins around and uses the medal drapery holder for protection. When Magnus lands on Jack, the rod slips past his teeth and to the back of the mouth. Magnus wasn't harmed, but his might couldn't break through the holder. The force knock's Jack onto the ground, the ends of the holder hitting the floor with sharp clanking sounds. Magnus' teeth were clamped in between the thin yet sturdy holder, the only thing in between Jack and his mouth. Even with his teeth locked up, Magnus still refuses to give up. With a muffled growl, he uses his stubby claws to try and scratch at Jack, at least until he can smell blood.

When Jack realizes what the dog's next plan was, he shifts from left to right on the floor, making it difficult for Magnus to claw Jack's chest. Through the struggle, Magnus momentarily loses his balance on jack's abdomen, falling on top of him while still biting on the holder. This gave the jack the opportunity to sit up and fling Magnus to the wall, using the rod to push him away. Magnus falls backwards with a '_yipe!'_, tangling himself in the loose ends of the drapes.

Jack stands to his feet while Magnus fights helplessly against the curtains. He pulls apart the double-jointed holder, revealing one of the ends to be narrow and ending in a coned tip. Jack looms over the trapped dog, holding the cone holder like a spear, while Magnus tries harder and harder to free himself.

"Well," Jacks says with a sneer, "I guess we're going to have to put this wild stray down the hard way! Not sure how ya got in, but you ain't leaving without some discipline! Heh-heh-heh." Jack raises the holder over his head, tip aiming at Magnus' head. The dog looks up with fear at Jack, than at the spear. "G'bye, pooch! I'll see you in hell!" Magnus whimpers and closing his eyes, expecting the worse.

"Jack! No!" Jack turns around and sees Carly, dressed in an oversized light-green bathrobe and shoe-like slippers. She runs over to Magnus, kneeling beside him to help him untangle the drapes. "My goodness! What were you two doing? What happened here!?" She frees Magnus, and he tries to lunge at Jack. Jack steps back with the spear holder ready, but Carly holds back Magnus by the scruff of his neck. He yelps and snaps at Jack, but Carly proves to be much stronger than she looks.

"Get away from it, Carly!" Jack yells, "That thing is dangerous. The second I came into your room, he tried to kill me! Where did you go?!"

"This _thing_ has a name, you know!" Carly screams back. She pets and cradles Magnus to calm him down. "It's ok, boy. This is the boyfriend I was talking about from earlier. His name is Jack, and he won't try to hurt you, alright." He stops struggling and obeys Carly's order to stop, but he stands behind her growling and baring his fangs at Jack. "Jack, this is Magnus. He's an abandoned dog that-eh-bumped into me while you were gone. I was in the bathroom getting ready to take a bath when I hear all these crashes and bangs! I come into my room, half if it destroyed, and you were stand over Magnus, ready to smite him with a-! Is that my drapery holder?"

"...Maybe," Jack tosses the rod behind him, it clattered across the floor. "b-but that's not the point! I leave you for _just_ 45 minutes, and you find a pet attack dog?!?"

"You said you would be back tomorrow! As in noon! As in not now!! What happened to Yusei, Crow, Bruno, and your tune up!?"

Jack, sensing Carly's anger, straightens himself and lowers his voice. He wanted Carly to think he's above fighting, and Magnus. "I might've...persuade them to give me the program a little ahead of schedule. Crow also said that I could spend the night here, with you. He also mentioned something 'bout me driving off a bridge while I'm at it, but whatev'r." Jack steps over to Carly, grabbing her by the waist. He pulls her to a locking embrace in his arms, making sure his precious flower is away from that miniature wolf. Magnus glares at Jack, his growls pitching deeper and deeper.

"C'mon, love." Jack coos at his timid girlfriend with honey in his voice. "I sorry I trashed your room, and had a disagreement with your new puppy. But I was only lookin' out for you. I thought it was some rabid animal that snuck in here to hurt you."

Magnus lifts his head in shock and rage. _Hurt her?! I'd rather hurt you! You may not be a burglar or that van driver, but that doesn't mean you're a perfect angel._ These words come out of Magnus' mouth in the forms of growls and barks.

"Easy, Magnus. Remember, he's a friend. A very special friend." Carly giggles and nudges closer to Jack. "I forgive you both for the damage. I was just worried one of you was going to seriously hurt each other. I know everything was moving a little fast, but I wasn't expecting this either."

"Bet you didn't expect this, neither!" Jack shouts as he hugs Carly tighter, trapping her lips in a passionate kiss. Carly tries to muffle a protest, but she quickly relaxes and returns Jack's signal of love. Jack breaks the kiss and begins to caress Carly's back with his hands, gently licking and biting the nape of her neck, catching his prize of guard. Carly shivers and pants in embarrassment and pleasure at the same time, not sure if she should tell him to stop, or keep going. Magnus' eyes widen to the side of dinner plates, his jaw drops as Jack continues to tease Carly before his very eyes.

_That snake! _Magnus growls with growing hatred. _He has his slimy tentacles all over her! If only I could just...No! I can't! Carly says I can't attack him. _Magnus painfully inspects Jack a little closer, disgusted by the way he moves his mouth over Carly's meek body. _He's strong, but he doesn't want to overpower her in any way. And Carly can't see the greed in him like I can. I'll have keep my distance, for now._

Jack glances behind Carly with a smirk, Magnus shooting daggers from his eyes. _Damn mutt! I still say Carly should lock that thing into a cage, and leave him there to rot forever and a day. But that doesn't stop me from showing him whose the real top dog here!_

"Jack, that's enough." Carly breathes as she pushes him away before Jack could try to unlace her robe. "We're all fighting because we're just tired. It's almost midnight, for heaven's sake." Carly moves away from Jack, and strolls over to Magnus. He whines happily with a wagging tail as Carly scratches him behind the ears. "Let's just find some beds to sleep in and worry about the mess in the morning. Agreed?"

Jack stares at Magnus with hatred, and a little bit of jealousy as well. Magnus cracks an eye and pants heavily, his mouth arranged in a sort of grin. "Fine," Jack says, sounding a little defeated. "we'll take a small break. But that mutt better sleep in the kitchen or somethin'. If you _need_ me, Carly, I'll be snoozin' on the couch."

Jack storms out of the room, mumbling about how Magnus messed up his coat. Carly stands up, and brushes away any fallen debris from the fight. "Would you be okay in the kitchen, boy?" She whispers to Magnus. She removes her robe and climbs into the dusty bed. "There's a big carpet near the stove that's pretty warm, and free of lice or dust!"

Magnus barks once as a reply, and Carly smiles as she rolls underneath the sheets. Magnus picks his way to the kitchen, but not before checking up on Jack. He's seen laying long way on the couch, his white blazer hanging on the coat rack near the television. Jack appears to be asleep, but Magnus can see one of his eyes cracked and staring straight at Magnus. With a low growl, he walks to the kitchen, finding the cream colored rug on the floor. It's a rug to Carly, but to Magnus, it's an oval relief. He circles and curls himself onto the rug, covering his snout with his tail. Magnus quickly fell asleep, saving his energy for another day.

*Well, the introductions went as well as expected. The fun continues in Chapter 5!


	5. Chapter 5

*Sorry for the wait! Writer's Block reared its ugly head at me, and I slowed down for a little while! It happens.

*I'm going to try and write the rest of my chapters in normal POV, if you could call it normal...

**Chapter 5:**

The early morning sunshine entered the room and lit up the tiny enclosure like the presences of a guardian angel. A guardian angel who doesn't know how early it is! Carly grumbles fruitlessly underneath the sheets, in somewhat of a sluggish daze. Last night, she fell asleep long before her head touched the pillow. Carly didn't even have the strength to take off her glasses! They were turned sideways and lopsided on her face, blurring her vision as her eyes blink back the sun. She moans and sits up in the bed, her silk nightgown more visible in the morning. But as Carly fixes her glasses and rubs her eyes, she noticed something even _more_ visible.

"EEK!" Carly covers her midsection with the bed sheets, her face flushed red with embarrassment. "My underwear is completely seen through this thing! I knew I should've worn black!" As she looked down at herself again, Carly's white bra and porcelain colored bikini underwear were visible from the gown. The gown itself appears to be made of plastic! She scoots to the edge of the bed, reaching for the woolen bathrobe. "Oooh! Let me just cover up with my robe and…"

"Don't do that, love!" Carly squeaks again. She turns around to find Jack kneeling against the doorway, arms crossed and snickering at her. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were trying to seduce me! Not that I'm arguin' or anything. You are working that _hourglass_ figure in that getup."

Carly pouts and covers herself up. She hops out of bed and goes to confront him. "Not funny, Jack! I'm not interested in being a seductress, or whatever they call them. Besides, shouldn't you me more concerned as to how I'm going to clean this mess up?!"

"What mess?" Jack asks with a shrug.

Carly turns around sharply. The corner where the poles and her drapes were supposed to be was clear. The drapery holders were lying next to each other on the floor, the curtain folded neatly next to the holders. Any debris that fell from the walls was gone.

"Jack! Did you do all of this?" Carly asks.

"Not all of it. When I got up this morning, the pieces of some board game were all picked up and put on a box in an open table. When I came in your room, the rods and curtain were pushed to one corner. Your roommate, Magnus, was sweeping up the wall pieces into a dustpan with his tail while you slept. I just folded the drapes and put away the box." Jack walks towards Carly and hugs her gently. "Looks like that stowaway doubles as a maid. Your attack dog had to go water a tree outside, thank goodness! But at least we could have a little time to ourselves." Jack raises Carly chin with two fingers and gently kisses his mistress. Carly was forced to break the kiss slightly disappointed because it ended almost too quickly.

"I'm sorry." Carly sighs "But please, let me bathe first. I didn't get a chance because of all the excitement, and afterwards I'll make breakfast. Besides, I fell dirty and out of breath."

_Funny. That kinda sounds like how I imagine you leaving our bed someday. _Jack smiles and steps to the side. "Sure," he said. "After that, you wanna go out and do an activity together?" Carly turns to Jack and smiles, halfway out the doorway. "O.K! We all could use some fresh air to know one another! Why don't we all stop by at Petsmart?"

Jack jumps back a little. "Pet-what?"

"Petsmart! Magnus could use a collar and a few feeding dishes, and maybe a bed, some chew toys, a cute little tag..." Carly looses herself in thought as she enters the bathroom, the hot water running almost instantly. Jack sighs and goes out to parks himself on the couch with a humph! He turns on the satellite TV, half wishing for an urgent news bulletin abut a missing gray dog. He hears a chuffing sound behind him, and turns around slowly to find Magnus laying on one side of the wall. He was almost directly behind Jack, for good intentions.

Magnus begins a deep growl, building in the back of his throat until his lips pulled back and bared his canines. _I got my eyes on you, Jack! That's the last time you try and force that woman into your clutches!_ Magnus stands up and quietly and paddles to the opposite end of the couch, hopping on a cushion and growling even deeper.

"Time out, mutt!" Jack turns his attention back to the TV, showing no interest or fear in Magnus. Sensing that Jack doesn't want to fight, Magnus stops snarling and sits in the couch, tilting his head and staring at Jack in bewilderment. _I can't believe I'm talking to this __thing__ like a human!_ Jack twitches uncomfortably as Magnus waits patiently.

"Look, you and I are a lot alike." Jack states, never taking his eyes of the basketball channel. "We're strong, we're men, and we both want the same thing. To please Carly." Jack gives a quick glance at Magnus. "Well, to please her in our _own_ way, if you know what I mean." Jack smiles to himself, but shivers a little as Magnus shoots arrows out of his eyes instead of daggers. "Alright! Knock it off! Animal!" Magnus straightens as they face each other. "Bottom line, dog-breath. I don't wanna end up in the dog house, and you actually want a dog house to end up in. So can we try not to kill each other for now, at least until one of us has a good reason?"

Magnus tilts his head again, appearing to think about his answer. He then barks happily and nods his head. "Great!...Well then." Jack gingerly sticks out his hand. "Truce? For now?" Magnus sticks out his paw as Jack shakes it. _Truce!_ Magnus pants with content. _But be prepared, Jack! For the rules, all's fair in love and war. We'll fight again, but not as destructive as usual._

The bathroom door opens suddenly, hot steam escapes into the room. Magnus wince to Jack, resting his head on Jack's lap as he pats Magnus' head gently. Carly steps out of the bathroom, robe tight around her body and her hair wrapped in a white towel. She steps over to the couch and sees Magnus and Jack together, all smiles and stuff. They seem to be tolerating each other for once.

"Aw! That's so cool!" Carly exclaims with a grin. "It's nice to see my boys getting along, bonding over some football."

Jack and Magnus look at each other questionably. "Carly, we're watching basketball."

"Really? You're sure it not football?" Carly stares at the TV hard, peering through her glasses. "Who am I kidding! I can't tell the difference between a wrestler and a referee." She turns back to the boys. "You two just relax, okay? I'll get breakfast started in a hurry. Who wants eggs!" Carly rushes to the kitchen before neither man nor beast can reply.

Jack glances at Magnus. "You can get up now, mutt. She's gone." Magnus sits up without a moment's hesitation, licking and wiping his head with one paw. _Knock it off, fleabag! _Jack rubs his hand furiously on the couch. _You're not exactly germ-free either. Who KNOWS when was the last time you had a bath! UGH!! What else is one?_ Jack slumps back on the couch and flips through 8 channels per second. Magnus finishes washing his head and stares at the flashing pictures in the TV.

They give each other another glance, horrified with what they see, and turn their noses up from one another.

*Well, that went as well as expected... Don't worry, there's more fun coming up in our next chapter. Keep writing!


	6. Chapter 6

*Thank you for your thoughts and comments! I'm still emptying my head to see what I can find!

*Heads up: Things are going to get a little interesting for a while at Petsmart ;)

**Chapter 6:**

"I can't believe you talked me into this! How could you **do** this to me, love!?!"

Jack, Carly, and Magnus were all in Carly's small yellow car, driving to Petsmart in a bright and windy day. They all just finished an acceptable breakfast of hard-boiled eggs and water. (Carly likes to cook, but she's not exactly the world's greatest chef...) Carly was in the driver's seat, fully dressed in her usual outing clothes with a small hint of orange lip-gloss on her lips. Jack was staring at her in the passenger seat, trademark white blazer slightly tattered but not too noticeable. Magnus was lying long way in the back seat, scratching on something wrapped around his neck. Before leaving, Carly was worried about Magnus, mostly because of the leash laws recommended for all dogs in the city. So she decides to ask Jack for a small favor...

"I can't believe that mutt has my neckband!!" Jack complains loudly, pointing at Magnus with disgust. "How you were able to talk me into this is beyond me!"

"Jack! Please!" Carly states, glancing at Magnus through the rear view mirror. Magnus snickers silently as Jack glares at him with rage. "It's only until we get to the store! Your beady neckband looks like a dog collar, anyways. And the black color looks great with Magnus' beautiful grey fur! Don't you think so?"

"I think I'm gonna toss that dog off a bridge if he so much as leaves a dent in my band!" Jack becomes more and more irritable as the dog continues to scratch the collar with his hind leg. He wines and whimpers as the band jiggles slightly each time Magnus scrapes it.

_Stow it, beanpole! _Magnus growls at Jack. _This isn't the best idea I've ever heard of, neither! How thin is your neck, man!?! Your __**band**__ is so tight, it's gonna kill me if I so much as breathe the wrong way! Plus, it's itchy!! And you say I don't bathe!_ Magnus growls louder as he rubs his neck against the seat. Carly watches Magnus from the mirror, a little worried that he might hate her for this. "Don't worry sweetie. We're almost at the store. Then, we could get you a cozy collar and anything else you like. Wouldn't that sound fun?"

Magnus sits up and barks happily as they pull into the Petsmart parking space. Jack gets out first and opens the door for Carly. "Oh! Thank you, sweetheart!" Carly says as she kisses Jack on the cheek. She gives him the keys and winks at him. "Could you let Magnus out and keep him company while I go to the front desk? I heard that you have to fill out some paperwork to get your dog a personalized collar. I'll be back in about half an hour, and then we'll all go shopping together." About hearing that he's left alone with the dog, Jack twitches and sweats about this for a second or two. "Sure." he finally says with a forced grin. "I'll lock up behind you and we'll wait out here. Meet you inside." Carly kisses Jack again and bounces off, rushing to the counter. Jack turns back around and sees Magnus glaring at him with absolute hate, baring his teeth and fogging up the glass with his breath. "The things I do for love..." Jack sighs deeply as he stars for the car, staring him down and ready for anything. "Alright mutt, let's get this over with!"

As Carly is already filling out the registrations and chatting up a storm with the clerk, Jack carefully opens the door for Magnus. He was a little scared, expected the dog to attack him head on.

Boy, was he right...

Jack ducks to the ground as soon as he opens the back door. Magnus lunges at Jack, flying through the air as Jack slams the door and runs for his life. Magnus sprints after Jack at top speed, barking and snarling at him as the two race back and forth. Jack scrams at the dog to the top of his lungs, asking him about the truce they had this morning and cursing him out at the same time. Jack would momentarily get the upper hand, scaring away Magnus with a large stick. At least there weren't too many people in the parking lot. Gives Jack more space to outrun that dog!

Carly and the clerk inside were completely oblivious to the madness happening outside, Carly was busy telling the quirky female receptionist the story of her boyfriend and her dog getting along _so well._ A customer stopped on his way out the store and stares at the insanity. Jack and Magnus were dashing from side to side, each taking a turn to chase one another. The customer drops his things and pulls out his cell phone, taping this rare event for everyone that surfs the internet to see.

-40 minutes later.

Jack and Magnus were laying on the side of the store entrance, gasping for air and sweating bullets. They have tracked the entire front driveway, even hopped over a few cars and into other driveways. In the end, they were so tired that Magnus didn't even have the strength to bite Jack. Carly walked out the front door, legal documents in one hand and a fancy collar in the other. She sees Jack and Magnus together, and doesn't state the obvious.

"Oh! There you are! Are you two just hanging out?" Carly smiles as she kneels next to Jack. Magnus and Jack exchange a glance, Jack was stringing together an excuse in his head and Magnus was too tired to even lift his head. "Y-Yeah! We were just relaxin' next to this-" Jack looks around quickly. "Garbage can! Even with the wind, Magnus was getting a little hot so we decided to just, uh, wait here... What took you so long, anyways?"

Carly shakes her head, blushing uncontrollably. "I'm soo sorry, you two! I was coming back as soon as I can. The paperwork was a lot more than I expected. Oh! Here you go sweetheart!" Carly scoots over to Magnus and switches Jack's neckband with the new collar. It was a pretty baby blue nylon band, simple yet elegant with its black safety buckle and diamond-shaped silver ID tag. "Don't worry, Jack. You're neckband isn't damaged. Worst case scenario, it has dog fur on it. C'mon, let's go inside." All three of them rose and enter the Petsmart quickly. Business was slow and there was almost nobody there, aside from the employees and a few customers.

"O.K!" Carly turns around to the boys like a general addressing lazy soldiers on the field. "Time to get to work. Freya says that all the supplies that Magnus needs are in the Dog aisles of the store, so we can all pick up bowls, food, water, toys, and everything else he needs and be out by lunchtime! Any questions!"

Jack slowly raises his hand. "Yeah, Carly? Love? Ehh...Who's Freya?"

"She's the young receptionist that works here. She helped me with my paperwork and told me all the special foods and medical tags we need to get from here, and at a vet's place up the road."

"How long have you known her?"

Carly looks at her watch. "For about...25 minutes."

Jack just stands and stares at her, very much confused. "How is it that all sorts of strange things happen to you when I'm not here?"

"Don't know. Must be my good fortune finally kicking in. But whatever, let's **go**!" Carly marches off while pushing a cart that was abandoned in the middle of the path. Magnus and Jack exchange another worried look, and finally trail the eccentric Carly.

*This is where I have to stop, for now. Don't worry! The fun continues in the next chapter!


	7. Chapter 7

*Thank you for your patience. So much fun stuff was gonna happen, I had to make 2 chapters! I also suffered from writer's block again….

*Please write me back! Tell me how you like it!

**Chapter 7:**

Carly bounces along with the cart and shuffles through every aisle in the dog section, picking up every toy and doggie food she likes. Jack and Magnus were staring at her in the background, shocked at the amazing speed that Carly displays. Man and dog weren't sure if they should try to help her, or stop her. Carly continues to shop until she fills the cart up, only stopping when she realizes that the cart was too heavy to push. Magnus and Jack see this as their cue to come over. The two inspect the cart of goodies while Carly catches her breath on the floor, back against the top-heavy shopping cart.

"I dunno, love." Jack begins. "Isn't a pet owner suppose to ask her furry piranha if he actually likes these things, or somethin'? I mean, how do we even know Magnus over here would like cheese and bacon flavored...help me out here. _Beggin' Strips_!?"

"Rumor has it that those are the biggest dog treats around. I'm sure that my little poochie will love them! Won't you snookums!" Carly states as she gently takes Magnus' head and rubs his fur playfully.

"I'm just sayin' love, we could always just buy a big doghouse, 'tach the mutt to a chain, leave him out there for weeks at a..."

Magnus quickly cuts Jack off, arching his back and snarling at him with irritability. Jack jumps back and almost climb the aisle's shelves. "What?! You're a big boy! I mean, aren't dogs suppose to enjoy the simple pleasures in life? Your ancestors were born outside and grew up in caves!"

"Magnus, hush!" Carly orders. Magnus immediately drops to a defensive hutch and whines. "Jack, stop teasing. I like to think Magnus as part of a family now, as he should be treated as such. I like to think of him as a sweet, little puppy just looking out for me!" Carly cuddles Magnus again, and he barks and wags his tail in response.

Jack turns away in disgust. _I rather think of him as a bothersome, old fleabag who doesn't know how to keep his muzzle out of other people's business. _Jack straightens himself and walks over to Carly, taking her hand and standing her up again. "Carly, I know you mean well for this dog, but I was just thinking about you!" Jack pleas with her as he wraps her waist with one arm, and kiss the back of her hand sweetly. Carly blushes again, and Magnus feels like he can do nothing but lay there and growl at that weasel. "Imagine what all this food would cost ya! There are ways you can satisfy your attack dog **without** breakin' the bank, you know!"

Jack takes Carly's arm with both hands now, and slowly pecks his way up Carly's arm. She giggles and blushes to bright red now, imagining Jack and her staring in their own romance film. _Although, _Carly imagines, _I would pick someplace a little more romantic than in a Petsmart, like a sunset beach or on the top of a tower! Oh, that would be nice! _She snaps back to reality when she notices Jack shuffling uncomfortably. She looks down to see that Magnus has just grabbed the back of Jack's trench coat, and was pulling him backwards while Jack was barking and cursing at the dog again.

"You mother#%! Fleabag let me go!" Jack swears as he yanks at his own coat. Carly watches unwillingly as Magnus plays tug-of-war with the jacket's tail. "If you tear another hole in my coat, I'm gonna rip you to shreds!!!"

"Magnus, stop!" Carly gets behind Magnus and manages to pick him up. After a few minutes of yelling and struggling, the end of his coat rips off Jack, who trips and falls flat on his face. Carly puts Magnus down as he lowers his ears and head submissively."Magnus! Bad dog, bad! You could've hurt Jack!" Magnus sinks his had even lower as Carly continues to scold him.

"Forget it, Carly! You're wastin' your bloody breath!" Jack states as he sat cross-legged on the floor, inspecting the gaping hole in his coat. "The day that walking tick parade apologizes for giving me grief is the day I get shot in the head!" Jack gets up and storms over to Carly, taking her by the arm. "I'm serious 'bout that muzzle! And while you're at it, I'll spring some money for a matching shock collar!" At this point, Magnus begins snarling at Jack again, apparently angrier at him than usual.

"Stop it, Jack!" shouts Carly "Sometimes, you're no better that the dog! What's wrong with you?"

"At this point, what's right with me?"

"That's enough!" Carly looks at Magnus, who's calmed down a little bit. "I'm sorry Jack; I just don't know why he's always attacking you. I'm sure he knows by now that you're safe to be around."

Jack releases Carly's arm and straightens to his full height. "It's not about that. It's just the fact that he hates it when I touch you."

"What do you mean, he's jealous? I know even your kisses were rough, but the closet thing we did was snuggle!"

"Oh really?!" Jack shouts, and then he quietly grins at Carly. She winches back a little, kind of scared of Jack's creepy smile. "Uh, Jack? What are you thi-EEK!" Carly screams playfully as Jack picks her up, literally sweeping Carly off of her feet. "I'll show you!" Jack carries Carly out of the aisle and towards the rear entrance. Magnus barks angrily as Jack carries Carly to a bench at the back, gently placing her on the low stool. Magnus stops a few feet behind them, still snarling and ready for anything Jack has up his sleeve.

"Jack! Please! W-What are you doing?" Carly tries to scoot away but Jack catches her by the waist.

Jack teases at Magnus as he kneels and places the full weight of his arms against the wall, trapping Carly's head in between. "Showing you my point, Love! Yo pooch! Ready for a peep show?!"

As Magnus ponders over the statement, Jack lets his arms fall and presses an open-mouthed kiss on Carly. She can't move away because her back was against the wall, and she couldn't protest because Jack caught her tongue with _his _tongue. Jack lets his eyes slip closed and pushes his mouth deeper into Carly's throat. At first, Carly tries to push him away at first her, but quickly gives in to his spell and plays along obediently. Carly closes her eyes and moves her hands gently over his head, urging Jack to go deeper. Magnus stares bog-eyed as Jack and Carly enjoy each other's _gifts_, growling silently and tears at the tiled floor with dull nails.

_That...that...ugh...snake!!! No! Worse! That slime ball! How did-! What on earth is he...?! You are a dead man, Jack!_ Magnus was about to attack Jack's head, or worse, but he quickly stops himself. _No! I can't give Jack the satisfaction! Stay, Magnus, breathe. Carly has already scolded you once. You don't want her to think you're a mad dog. Just wait it out. Just...ah! What the?!_

While Jack was busy giving Carly a lesson in French kissing, he slipped one hand underneath her shirt and begins caressing one of her breasts roughly, making her blush and moan. By now, Carly slides backwards and rests herself long way on the bench, never breaking their intimacy. Now that the wooden bench has been used as a makeshift bed, Jack lies on top of her and continues his courtship signals to Carly. Jack's tongue slips even deeper into her throat, making her shake and dig her nails into his back. He uses his second hand to remove Carly's glasses and place them next to her. He then slips his free hand in between her legs, making her jump slightly and shut her legs in protest. Carly had never done, or ever been touched, this way before, so she couldn't help but shiver and moan weakly. This was a first for Jack as well, but with his demeanor and commanding fingers, he acts like Carly is just girlfriend #2.

_Ah! Dear Lord! Oh, Carly! What is that molester doing to you?! It's like watching the scene of an accident! I can't turn away! I just can't turn-! No, wait, yes I can. MY EYES!_

Magnus yipped and dashes in the opposite direction, closing his eyes to shield him from the scene he's endured. Unfortunately, he wasn't seeing where he was running to and bashes his head into the overstocked cart. Jack breaks his kiss and turns because of the noise. He tears away from Carly, leaving her shaken and gasping for air on the bench. He's stunned to see Magnus passed out on the floor, a large lump visible on his head.

_What the hell?!_ Jack stares in disbelief. _Where's that rabid beast that attacked me yesterday?! What happened to that vicious monster that wouldn't think twice to chew me in half?! You were just gonna run away from __your__ owner?!? Worthless son of a-?_

Jack straightens as he felt a finger tap on the shoulder. He gulps and turns around to see Carly standing behind him. She had her arms crossed, messy hair, and her glasses in one hand, a tapping foot, and a very pissed look on her face.

"Ah! Carly!" Jack staggers his words and sweats over his explanation. "I-I-I didn't mean it like that! I mean, it wasn't supposed to turn out like that! I wasn't paying attention! Magnus was supposed to jump in any second there! I thought you knew that was how I felt about you! I mean, y-you know how boys are! Right...Carly?"

BAM!!! CRASH!!!!

Freya was asleep on a couch in the employee lounge during this time. She awoke with a start as she heard a sharp noise cut through. "Zzz…Huh?! What? What was that?" Freya starts, rubbing the sleepiness out of her eyes. "Wow! Sounds like somebody smacked somebody else across the face, and that second somebody his head on a shelf and is lying unconscious on the floor. And then the first somebody who smacked the second somebody who is unconscious on the floor just stormed out the front door in a huff or something!" Freya thinks over what she just said. "Ah, who am I kidding? It's probably nothing. Man, is today slow…zzzz." Freya falls back asleep before her head even touched the couch cushion.

-2 hours later

Jack, Carly, and Magnus were all sitting at a stone table together in the park. After the "excitement" from the Petsmart, Carly thought this would be a great place for everyone to cool off. Before going to the park Carly needed to get the toys home first. So she left Jack and Magnus, pushed the cart to the front, paid for all the items, rushed home, put all of the dog goodies in different places at her house, drive back, dragged the 2 unconscious men to her car, and drove to the park. Easy!

Jack and Magnus were sitting on the same stool with Carly facing them, all 3 people having ice cream. Magnus was licking vanilla ice cream from a waffle bone, each lick making him whine and tear from pain because of the unnatural-looking large bump on his head. Jack couldn't even try to eat his pistachio ice cream because a water pail was lodged on his head from the fall, and there was a hand-shaped red mark on his left cheek that is burning him up. Carly was at the other end, happily sipping a banana ice cream smoothie.

"Well!" Carly starts, making Jack and Magnus jump. "I think we all learned a little something about karma today!" Magnus looks at Jack questionably. Jack would've responded to his look, but the bucket on his head made him blind. "Magnus attacking Jack made him have a migraine, Jack forcing himself on me means he has a migraine **and** a swollen cheek, and me making a new friend invites me to a cool birthday party on Saturday! Super!" Carly giggles, but Magnus and Jack only groan in pain.

"So boys, what should we do tomorrow?" Carly asks.

Neither man nor dog says anything.

*Sorry this chapter took so long. Making these things is not all that's cracked up to be. Please be patient for the next chapter!


	8. Chapter 8

*Sorry, but we're gonna have to sidetrack a little to introduce a couple of others!

*Tell me what you think!

**Chapter 8:**

-8 hours later

After the trio's 'excitement' at the pet store and ice cream in the park, they're back at Carly's apartment standing outside the front door. Jack has decided to spend the night back at the boys' garage, much to Carly's disappointment and Magnus' joy. Jack already has his D-Wheel revved up, purring at the end of the curb. Carly was facing Jack, all dressed up in his biker suit and his helmet under his arm. Magnus was growling in between them, back to his normal self with fur raised and growling at Jack.

"Does this mutt ever?!...(Sigh)" Jack puts on his helmet and stares at Carly. "Listen, little lady. I hate to break up this little git together, but I gotta man up and face the Poultry King someday."

Carly smiles at him. "It's okay! This was a really cool day! I'm really glad you were able to spend the day with us! It didn't exactly go as planned," Carly and Jack turn away slightly, blushing red on both faces, "but it was fun! Please hurry back."

"C'mon love, you know I would come back. 'Specially because I'm not sure if this dog has had all its shots!" Jack and Magnus stare at each other, Magnus snarling furiously and ready for another fight. _Bring it on, Atlas! Anytime, anywhere! I may have a migraine the side of your bike, but I can still take you on. _Magnus whines quickly and lays down. _Aah! Ow-ow-ow-ow-ow! Ooh, my head. The stupid bump's gone but I'm not feeling any better._ He whimpers some more and covers his head with his paws.

Carly kneels to him, gently rubbing his fur. "Are you alright, sweetie? You must still be hurting from the bump on your head. Oh! Speaking of which, are you fine too, Jack?" She asks as she stands back up.

Jack sweat drops as he gently rubs his cheek. The redness and swelling is gone, but his face was still a little sore from Carly's hand. _Note to self: Women slap hard!_

"I'm fine!" Jack laughs nervously. "I'll be alright! Look, I'll drop by in a day or two, have ta make up the lost dueling time the other will probably nag me to death about." Jack gives her a quick peck on her lips and hops on his bike, the front door to the bike in one jump. Jack grins as he rallies the engine a few times, pleased with the annoyed face on Magnus. Jack yells over the noise, "G'Night, love! G'Night fleabag!" and drives off laughing like a mad man, popping wheelies and going way over the speed limit. (You can hear tire screeches and a short crash coming from another car. Poor dude. Didn't see Jack coming.)

Carly is left giggling like a high school girl, wishing her biker boyfriend the best of luck. Magnus is growling so much, one of his eyes are twitching. He tugs on Carly's jacket sharply, literally dragging her back to the door. "Oh! Alright, boy! I'm coming." They walk up the steps and Carly opens the door for him. "Say, Magnus, you want me to make some hamburger casserole? It has cheese!" Magnus just rolls his eyes and barks.

About 2 blocks down the street, a white van quietly climbs up the road. It parks in front of the house, but the driver doesn't get out or cut the engine. A second face peers through the glass on the passenger side, both strangers staring at the door for some time. The passenger grabs the mike from their car radio and adjusts it to a specific frequency, never taking his eyes off the door.

"Central Command, this is Agent Boulder, " The passenger states."Agent River and I are in front of the target's house. Do we proceed? Over?"

"...Uh, Mr. Boulder?"

"In a minute, man. Central Command! Repeat, do we proceed, over?!"

Another car pulls by, the headlights only catching the agents for a small glimpse before driving away. Agent Boulder is a tall strong white man with short, dark blonde hair and a gold mustache. Agent River is a younger, dark male with long, brownish-red hair and a medium build. Boulder was wearing a light gray jumpsuit with black and blue sneakers, a raggedy hat, and black sunglasses. River was wearing a greenish-brown turtleneck, blue jeans, and black business shoes. Both men waited patiently for Central Command to respond, but the 2-way radio was silent.

"Central Command! Come in, Central Command!"

"Mr. Boulder."

"Not now, rookie! I'm trying to get our orders to attack! Central Command, Central Command!" Boulder bangs on the radio with his fist, threatening to break it.

"Mr. Boulder, stop! You'll give away our position!"

"Quit your whining, rookie. As your mentor and your commanding officer, I order you to calm down!"

"But-but-but!"

"Calm down! I know what I'm doing!"

"Oh, I can't look!!" River groans and turns away, closing his eyes from the carnage. Boulder hits the radio harder and harder until sparks fly, bolts fling out, and the back starts to cave in.

"AAUGH! Curse you radio!" Boulder grabs the radio, jumps out the car, runs to the other side of the street, and throws down the radio with a smash. Then he takes out his concealed hand gun and aims it at the radio! River shrinks back and pulls out his cell phone as Boulder sets off several rounds of bullets into the radio. When he got through with it, the radio was nothing more than a smoking mass of nuts and bolts. River had just finished talking to someone on his cell phone as Boulder gets back in the car, grinning to himself.

"Aha! Ya see, rookie. Now that's how ya take care of a busted radio! Ha! That's whatcha get for messing with Agent Boulder!" Boulder leans back on the chair and closes his eyes, ready for a nap. River looks like he's going to be sick. "Oh well, maybe if we storm in there with guns blazin' one of these days, we'll get a bonus. Especially of we catch 'em alive! Ahahahah! I wonder what was wrong with that radio? Hey River, whatcha think?"

River is grinning with resentment, a resent that says maybe he should've listened to his parents all those years ago while he was in college, and become a paralegal.

"Mr. Boulder. You do realize that radio wasn't real, right?"

Boulder opens his eyes in shock. "Bwa-huh?!? Really!"

"Yes, really. As a matter of fact, I just got off of the phone with Central Command."

"you contacted Central Command?! But how!?!"

"I have them on speed dial. They said the radio was part of our truck, you know, as a little...DISGUISE!"

"What! Oh, alright rookie! No need to get huffy! So, what did they say 'bout the mission?"

River sigh and leans back in the chair. "They said to only keep visual on the target and hosts, nothing more. They also said to report back to base as soon as possible."

"What! Aw, man! When in the hell is the action gonna kick in! Fine, drove back..." Boulder complains as River sets the van to drive. The van speeds up the street, taking a right turn at the corner.

"You wanna know something, rookie." Boulder starts with River.

"Not really sir."

"Well, I wanna know how double C is suppose to take back that thing without any guns or nothing!"

"Don't worry sir, they'll think of a plan."

"And we follow them! Please!" Boulder rolls his eyes and stares out the window. "Y'know River, they don't pay me enough to be here!"

"They don't pay me enough to be with you either, sir."

*We'll get back to the important people in the next chapter! Promise! Write back!


	9. Chapter 9

*Warning: The stunts you are about to read in this chapter should not be attempted at home, or anywhere!

* No people or animals were harmed in the making of the characters' stupidity

**Chapter 9:**

Jack was racing down the street towards the hideout, pressing 90 mph in a 35 mph zone. (Yes, that **is** fast!) He smiles as the fresh air whips in his face, the engine roars with a life of its own, and the fact that the G-force is threatening to pull his lips off. Jack accelerates even more as he nears the garage, the boys' private hidey-hole at the bottom of the hill. He twists his bike sharply to the left, drifting and leaving a skid mark a mile long. As if waiting for him at just the right time, one of the garage doors quickly opens. Jack side winds in and makes a perfect landing in the middle of the floor, circling donuts and stopping in a twister of smoke and engine steam. Yusei stands on one side of the garage, leaning against the brick wall with a grin on his face. He pushes the garage opener again, and the door immediately closes with a bang. Jack cuts the engine and stretches out of the bike, the motor still smoking warm, white steam.

"Welcome home, Jack." Yusei starts, Jack taking off his helmet and hopping onto the sofa. "Hope you had a nice time at Carly's. It was definitely peaceful without you and your cannon around." "

Jack only _humph_'s at him as a reply. "Where are Bruno and Crow? Mostly Bruno. Crow could sleep on a statue for all I care."

"They needed to rush to the hardware store for a few last-minute parts for a speed upgrade on Crow's bike." He walks over to the resting Jack; never stop smiling at him for some reason. "You know, if you keep this up, the police are going to be nipping at your heels...again."

"Pff! What!" Jack barks back while sitting up. "Sector Security is going to hunt me down for spending a little leisure time with my gal?! When was kissing a lady a federal offense?"

"Not her. I mean the fact that I saw you racing down here like your bike was on fire. I'm surprised it wasn't. You think I didn't see you run over that stop sign? You bashed it so hard, it uprooted out of the concrete and flew in the air!"

"Oh, come on! No one was hurt!"

"Don't worry, Jack. There was that mailman working late that caught that sign for you...with his face."

"Ah! What was the old man doing outside at 10 at night!? Next time he should watch where I'm going. Anyways, how did you know all that?"

Yusei rolls his eyes and walks over to the end of the room. "I saw you coming through the upstairs window. When you speed up and down a street, it's pretty hard to ignore you." He sits at another area of the garage, one that seems to be restricted for computers and mechanical equipment only. Yusei smiles some more and turns to him."By the way, how's the dog?"

Jack leans back and shuts his eyes. "Damn mutt! Won't leave me alone with Carly for one second. If she wasn't babying it all the time, I would've...?" Jack shoots out of the chair, wide eyed and questionable. "Wait! What!?! H-How did?!"

"Aha!" Yusei turns back to the computer, logging onto a video website. "I knew that dog had to have known you! No offense dude, but you're not exactly an animal fan."

"Like heck I am!" Jack runs over to Yusei, glaring over his shoulder at the screen. "What is-?"

Yusei smiles again at Jack, but this time Jack is well aware of his grin and shutters back in fear. "Funny thing, Atlas. _Seriously_ funny. About 8 or 9 hours ago, some guy uploaded this video on the internet." Yusei scrolls to the search box and types in 'Man vs. Wild'.

Jack looks at the screen in absolute bewilderment. "Huh?"

"Man vs. Wild, a special 20 minute clip about a **certain **star toughing it out with a 'wild dog'. Of course, your best friends would know you wouldn't just go up and pick a fight with some stranger of a dog. Eh, Dog Whisperer?"

Jack shrinks back even further, shaking and sweating bullets. "Does anyone else know about this?!"

Yusei snickers some more. "You mean besides us? Yeah. Funny thing about that! After Bruno and I stopped laughing hysterically at your video, Crow emailed it to Akiza, Rally, Blitz, Tank, Nervin, Blister, the twins…"

"OH, COME ON! Give me a break! This is horses%#$!"

"Temper, Jack!"

"Don't you temper me, crab-head!" Jack stops and takes a deep breath. "Besides, how did you know I would even associate with someone from a lower species."

Yusei rolls his eyes ant turns back to the computer, playing the show again. As Jack looks on, he pauses at a scene where Jack and Magnus were on the same screen. Yusei punches in some keyboard letters, and an electronic box shows up around Magnus' throat. After a few more furious clicks from the keyboard, the image enlarges frame by frame, until Jack's neckband was clearly seen around Magnus' neck. "May I present to you, exhibit C! C, as in collar!"

"DAMMIT!" Jack scoots back even further.

"Sorry Jack, but there's no way that the dog could've put that collar, or your collar, on with his little paws. You probably did it to make fun of him!"

"I, Jack Atlas, did no such thing. That monstrosity is Carly's new pet."

Yusei turns back to face him. "What?!"

"You heard me! Carly picked up that stray last night! When we went over to some pet supermarket, she wanted to use my neckband as a temporary collar, so he wouldn't be taken by the dogcatcher. Before and after the shopping trip, a whole mess of weirdness happened."

"All this happened in 24 hours?"

"I know, right! I have seen the face of torture and misery, and it is a DOG!" Jack walks groggily to the couch and stretched himself into a comfortable position, fighting off the nightmares he's positive he'll have tonight. "Please, Yusei, it's been a long day. Can you guys make fun of me in the morning?"

"Sure!" Yusei shuts down the computer and gets up. "Just so you know, there's been 5,000 viewers already. The people around here have been knocking down our door, just so you can sign the pictures they printed out from their favorite scenes. HA-HA! Face it, Jack. You're famous again, but for all the wrong reasons. Good night!" Yusei teases as he walks up the stairs, shutting off all the lights on his way to bed.

Jack groans and turns uncomfortably in his make-shift bed. His face twisted into an unhappy smirk, and his tired eyes staring up at the ceiling. _AAUUUGH! What am I gonna do?!? This is all that damn mutt's fault. If what Yusei says is true, I won't even make it out the front door tomorrow! Rotten mutt! _Jack tosses again, keeping his eyes shut this time. _Hmm, I wonder if I still have that outfit that Carly bought for me?_

*Poor Jack, one can only take so much misery...

*If you ask me, he isn't miserable enough. Stay tuned for the next chapter! :)


	10. Chapter 10

*This chapter is dedicated to an old fan favorite of the show (Episode 31)!

*Enjoy!

**Chapter 10:**

-The next day

The sun was beaming through the open windows of the apartment. The inside bedroom was lit up with a combination of the wax floors and the sunlight's purity. The hulking blue-gray silhouette if Magnus' body was seen curled up in Carly's bed, already made and straightened to perfection. For a young dog, Magnus' loved nothing more than to sleep like an old dog for the rest of his life. Carly was already up and in the kitchen, working on improving her cooking skills. She decided to try her luck on a couple of special recipes she printed out on the internet, just for the fun of it.

"Okay!" Carly jumps with excitement. "A homemade buttermilk pancake recipe for me and a bowlful of special oatmeal dog biscuits for my hungry little helper".She looms over a bowl of pancake batter and stirs it with a wooden spoon. After putting down the spoon, she scans through the printed recipes. "Right! The batter for the pancakes is nice and easy, so let's get stated on those biscuits! Let's see...Huh!? What on earth is wheat germ? Oh, boy. I've never even heard of..." Carly scans the fridge and cabinets for anything that even looks like wheat germ.

Magnus was listening to Carly's dilemma with one ear, smiling to himself on the bed. _Aah, this is the life. _Magnus growls happily and rolls his underside towards the sun. _A soft bed for my weary paws, actual sunshine warming my belly, and a beautiful woman making me a __real__ breakfast in the kitchen. I couldn't ask for anything more. _He tosses over again, and a sly grin appears on his face. _Well, maybe if that blonde-haired loser got lost and fell in a ditch somewhere. Now that is a dream come true! Ha! _He yawns with content and tucks himself in, waiting for another mid-morning nap. Carly was humming to herself happily, blending the dog recipe together and eyeing the pancake batter. She was ready to spread the biscuits on the cookie sheet for chilling when the doorbell rang. Magnus shot up and leaps out of the bed, barking and pawing at the door.

"I wonder who can be up so early today." She took off her mitts and made her way to the door, the visitor ringing the bell impatiently. Magnus scoots over so that Carly can get to the door."I'm coming! Ugh! This better not be the postal workers again!" She unlocks the door instinctively. "I mean, don't get me wrong! I have no problem with them hand-delivering the package but-!?" Carly opens the door and a powerful gust of wind blows into the room, carrying leaves and dirt. Magnus and Carly look outside, but the visitor was nowhere to be seen.

"Must've been our imagination, boy" Carly glances at Magnus, who gives her a doubtful shake. _I don't think so, Carly. It was faint, but the stranger was definitely familiar. _Carly closes the door, double locks everything, and turns around to find a stranger behind them. He was wearing blue jeans, a black jacket over a white shirt, a blue bonnet hat, and dark sunglasses. He was leaning on the hallway, sweating and gasping for air.

"AAH! What?!" Carly and Magnus jump back, but Carly, taking another look, quickly regains her form. "Oh! Jack! It's you! How did...!?! Magnus!"

Magnus leaps into the air like a flying comet, smashing into Jack with so much force, they both topple over. Magnus is already trying to gnaw Jack's face off, while Jack pushes against his belly with one leg, desperately trying to keep the guard dog from attacking him even more.

"Knock it off you oversize throw pillow!" Magnus stops his barking and backs off Jack. By this time, Carly is gripping onto Magnus' collar, in case he tries a second attempt. Jack sits up and removes the hat and sunglasses, his hair falling into place and sweat on his brow. "I swear, that thing will find any reason to attack me! It's a disguise, you fleabag!!" Magnus fights against Carly's orders, barking and biting at him again.

"Magnus, hush!" The obedient dog immediately falls silent. "Now Jack, not that I'm not happy for you to visit for breakfast, but why are you here this time? You said you'll be back in a couple of days."

"I wouldn't last a couple of days!" Jack shifts to every window in the room and shuts the blinds, dimming the room a little. "A little 'disagreement' between me and Jaws over there somehow got on the internet! Everyone near the love shack knows my name now, but I wish they didn't. Those idiots have been banging on our doors, asking for an autograph or a picture! Man, Yusei couldn't be more right!"

Carly and Magnus blink at each other. "But Jack, I thought you said that-"

"I always wanted to be a star again? Ha! Be careful whatcha wish for, Love!" Jack peers through the closed blinds, checking for any stalkers. The streets outside were quiet. "At least no one knows where you live."

"(Giggle) Thanks! By the way, how long have you had that outfit?"

"What? This? Ever since you gave it to me."

"I thought you hated it."

"it...eh...grew on me? Besides, no one was able to recognize me in this. What sheep."

Jack strolls over to the couch, closing his eyes and laying on his back. Carly walks to him, bends down, and strokes his cheek. "You take a break, sweetie. I've started halfway through breakfast, anyways. How does pancakes sound?" Jack smiles, and Carly gives him a peck on the cheek. She's about to get up, but Jack catches her by the arm, bringing her to sit on his stomach.

"Hold on there, housewife. How about a real kiss." With both hands behind her back, he leans her over for a proper kiss."Jack! Wait! I need to get the..." But he continues to playfully fight her.

However, Magnus had a different idea. _The lady said no, squid lips!_

Somehow he was able to dash from the end of the hallway, squeeze in between Carly and Jack's bodies undetected, and then push himself in front of Jack's face. He then gave Jack a big, wet, doggy "kiss" in the lips.

"HOLY %#$~!" Carly jumps back as Jack and Magnus topple off the couch and onto the floor. Magnus dashes away as quickly as he came, leaving Jack flattened on the floor and spitting out puppy dribble. "AUGH! GET BACK HERE!!!" Magnus and Jack take on their daily ritual of chasing each other while Carly looks on, unsure of what she should do.

"Oh, well." Carly sighs and continues to the kitchen. "Maybe they'll work up an appetite. Better go, then. You two play nice!"

Jack continues to chase after Magnus, the dog barking mockingly and Jack screaming at him with fury. "Get back here, fur ball! I'll be chocking on dog biscuits for a week!"

Magnus barks back angrily at him. _Your kisses aren't exactly first-prize either, pal. Ever heard of floss! _

*It's not easy updating these chapters! How do professionals do it?!?


	11. Chapter 11

*Thanks for your patience. It's a little confusing in some parts, but you'll figure it out!

**Chapter 11:**

Carly and Magnus were sitting at the dining room table, enjoying pancakes and special dog treats for breakfast. Magnus snickers to himself as he hears shouts and angry remarks coming from upstairs. Jack was running the water in the bathroom sink, soaking his face and almost drowning from shouting to himself just to get every drop of doggie drool off his skin. Carly sips her orange juice and sighs.

"You know Magnus, Jack wasn't trying to hurt me or anything." Carly states. "He was just fooling around. He's like that sometimes. Actually, all of the time…"

Magnus only growls at the mention of Jack's name. _It doesn't matter of the brute was kidding or not, Carly. I happen to know that when a woman says no, she means no! That dumb blond should've let go of you when he had the chance._ Carly can only watch questionably as Magnus lifts his head and barks at the ceiling. _Ya hear that you aggressive blonde Sasquatch! I'm onto you! If you don't keep your slimy lips to yourself, I'll rip 'em off! HUMPH! _Magnus finally calms down and continues eating.

Carly stares at her blue-gray bodyguard silently. _You know, it would be nice to know what Magnus was thinking. I know he's a really smart dog and all, and we would probably have an intelligent conversation together. So, why do I have the feeling he would curse out Jack like crazy if he could talk? Oh well… _Carly was a little worried about him deep down inside. But she does nothing else but sighs and continues eating.

Jack grumbles to himself as he walks slowly down the steps to the dining room. His hair and face was dripping wet as he dries himself off with a hand towel. Parts of his clothes were wet as well, mainly his jacket collar and around his neck. Even with the towel covering his face, he's still able to make his way to an open seat and sit in a chair without tripping or opening his eyes.

"Hey, little lady." Jack began as he grabs the plate full of warm pancakes. "You know, if that dog of yours doesn't kill me first, the shock from his attacks will."

Carly just sweat drops about the comment. "C'mon Jackie, it wasn't like that. He was…um…probably just trying to play with you."

"Yeah, sure. Magnus and I were playing our favorite game, 'Kill the Man'!" He stabbed his fork into the stack of pancakes, glaring at Magnus with hate. Magnus just glared back at Jack with the same hate as him, chewing his food slowly with his snout in the food.

As Jack lets the towel fall to the floor, he eats the special breakfast contently. "Mm, this is pretty good. Actually, this is really good! If I was in any less of a mood, I would've questioned you about why that dog is eating at the table."

"Jack, knock it off. Magnus has as every right to be here as you do."

Jack shifts his gaze to Carly in shock. "I'm taking that as an insult, love."

"S-Sorry."

They continue eating quietly for a few more minutes, and then the doorbell rings. All of them stop and eye the door quickly, not expecting any visitors at such an early hour. Carly signs and stands up from the table. "I'll get it. Make sure you eat quickly, Jack. For dessert, I made a special Key Lime pie for us to share."

Jack grins slyly about this. "Mmm, sounds delicious. And what about your breathing fur rug?" Magnus growls at him again.

"I'll give him a scoop of vanilla ice cream, but that's sweet Jack. It's nice to know that you're starting to care for Maggie."

"Whatever." As Carly disappears around the corner, Jack and Magnus stop eating for a second and realize something. "Uh, did Carly just call you 'Maggie'?"

Magnus whines what this means for him. "Don't worry, fleabag. If you don't kill me first, I promise to have a serious talk with Love about this whole 'nickname' thing." Both boys sign and continue eating.

**~5 minutes earlier, outside Carly's front door~**

River and Boulder were standing out on the porch, their van parked on the curb. River was wearing a blue jumpsuit with a white cap, but Boulder was dressed in tight fitting jeans and a black shirt. Boulder was carrying a screwdriver and a pair of wire clippers, and River was lugging a red toolbox.

"Okay, Mr. Boulder, you remember the plan?" River started.

Boulder laughs. "Of course I do, rookie! What do you tale me for, a moron? Da-ha-ha-ha!" There was a short silence from both men before boulder scoots close to river and whispers, "What was the plan, again?"

River sighs and rolls his eyes. _Sometimes I wonder why I bother to get up in the morning. _"Listen closely, sir. You will quietly, _qui-et-ly, _climb to the roof of the target house to find the cable antenna. There, you will detach the wires connected to the antenna. Two or three of them should be enough. I will knock on the door, and pretend to be from the cable company. Once inside the house, I will search for the target or any evidence that he was in the house. You will wait exactly 15 minutes, and then reattach the wires to the antenna receiver. The cable will be restored to the house by then, and that will be my cue to get out. Am I going too fast for you, sir?"

Boulder only scratches his head with the screwdriver, eyeing something besides River. It's not clear if he's actually acknowledged anything River has said to him. "Huh? Did you say something, rookie?"

River groans loudly. "Nothing, sir. Nothing. Just please, get to the post, Mr. Boulder."

Boulder shrugs and climbs up the side of the house, jumping and swinging with the stamina of a ninja. He quickly disappears behind the building top, leaving River with a feeling of doubt towards his so-called "superior". _I can feel my ancestors rolling in their graves, right now._ He sighs again and rings the doorbell. _How far have I fallen? Seriously._

**~Normal Time~**

Carly opens the door, eyeing the mysterious stranger gently. River smiles at her and formally introduces himself. "Good day, madam. I am Steven Rivera, an engineer from your cable company."

"Oh, hello." Carly opens the door gingerly. "Can I help you?"

River bows and shows respect to her. "I just wish to ask you for permission inside your home, miss. The company was working on a new satellite feed a few days ago, and we have received complaints from our subscribers that their televisions were not working efficiently. I'm here to make sure your T.V. was not permanently affected."

Carly blinks questionably at him, and then steps aside. "Okay! C'mon in. My T.V. is in the den."

"Thank you very much." River wipes his feet on the mat and quickly makes his way to the den room. As he moves past the kitchen, he notices something leaning on the counter. He moves back to double check and notices Jack sipping orange juice against the sink. Jack looks up from his glass and stares hard at River, making him shiver a little.

"Who are you?" Jack states dryly.

"Oh! I-I'm from Ms. Carmine's cable company! I'm here for just a routine check-up on her television. And you?"

"That's not any of your business."

"O-O-Oh! Of course not, how silly of me. Well, I better hurry and check on the den's tele-."

"The T.V. in the living room is fine. Make yourself useful and check the one in the upstairs bedroom. There are several cable channels on it that only show static."

"But sir, I-?!"

Jack glares hard at him. River slowly edge away from the kitchen, mortified that Jack might try to jump him. He rushes up the stairs and into Carly's bedroom. _Geez! The data only said that the target was with a teenage woman, that's all. There was no information about blonde Goliath over there! I better wrap this up before he gets too suspicious, or worse._

River rushes to her bedroom and shuts the door behind him. He turns on the T.V. and spreads a few tools on the floor, to make it look like he's working. As he opens the window and sticks his head out, he calls to Boulder.

"Mr. Boulder? Mr. Boulder!"

Boulder sticks his head out from the side, looking a little bored. "'Sup, River! Is it knockout time for the T.V.s yet? I didn't unplug anything."

"No! We need to abort mission. There is an unexpected element in the house."

"What sort of element? Can we take it?"

River shakes his head. "It one of those another-person-that-slipped-through-the-cracks-and-could-jeopardize-the-whole-operation sort of element, sir. There is an unknown male in the house that we have zero information on! He is also very suspicious and could catch on quickly."

Boulder only smiles. "You know what this calls for, River."

"What?"

Boulder picks up a huge sledgehammer and swings it around over his head. "HAMMERTIME! HAMMERTIME!"

"Knock it off! We have to evacuate now!"

"Alright, we'll go. You're no fun at all, River. I'll be waiting in the van for five minutes." Boulder pouts and gathers his things, disappearing on the roof. River scrambles to gather the tools, turn off the T.V., and makes his way out the room and down the steps. Carly was just walking to the kitchen when River came.

"Mr. Rivera! Is everything alright?"

River scratches his head, peering around to see if the stranger was here. "Um, yep! Everything's alright. Your friend mentioned something about a few channels off line in the upstairs television, but I am not authorized to inspect it. You're just going to have to call your regular electrician and look into it. Well, good day!" River races out the door and to the awaiting van. He jumps in and the van tears down the street, almost crashing into another car. Carly looks out and wonders what that was about, but she shrugs it off and closes the door. Coming up behind her, Jack and Magnus walks to her together.

Carly blinks at this. "That's weird. Shouldn't you two be arguing about something, again?"

"We decided to call a truce, again. Is the 'electrician' gone?"

"Yeah. He said everything was fine. By the way, where was Magnus? He disappeared before Mr. Rivera showed up."

Jack rolls his eyes as Magnus goes over to be petted by Carly. "He was eating grass in the back yard, for some reason. Is grass good for dogs?"

"I'm not sure. Speaking of eating, how about that pie I promised you!"

"Sure." Jack makes his way to the kitchen, and then looks back at Carly. "By the way, make sure you ask more questions before you invite people into your house. There was something fishy about that boy."

"You thought Magnus was fishy."

"Same difference." Jack disappears into the kitchen as Magnus and Carly follows. Carly lost herself quickly in thought._ What's Jack so worked up about? He's normally not this mad, especially to a complete stranger. Oh! Maybe he's jealous! (Giggle) That's cute!_ She bounces after the boys happily, quickly forgetting about the visitor.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12:**

~8 Days Later~

The early afternoon sun shined over the city's dog park on a crystal clear day. Jack was sitting on a bench along with Yusei, Bruno, and Crow. Crow was staring at the sky with a soda in his hand, obviously bored, Yusei and Bruno were typing away at a new program for the runners, and Jack was staring angrily out into the field. Magnus was happily bouncing around, chasing an over-inflated beach ball with a pack of other dogs. They pushed and nosed the ball over their heads, keeping it airborne while the pack blindly chased after it. Now and again the dogs would trip and fall on top of each other, but they would just get up and chase the ball again. If Magnus could "talk", he would be laughing and giggling to himself.

Yusei lifted his eyes from the computer and spotted Magnus from the pooch crowd. He glanced at the grumpy Jack and smiled. He leaned over to Bruno and whispered loudly, "Dogs sure are happy creatures. Yup. Man's **best friend**. They enjoy the peaceful little things in life, can give lots of affection, and are very loyal. Wouldn't you agree, Bruno?" Yusei winked.

"Huh?" Bruno started as Crow elbowed him from behind. "Oh! Yeah! You're so right, Yusei. Why, those dogs must be having the time of their lives! Magnus sure looks happy to be out here! Just look at him run. Isn't that right, Crow?"

Crow snickered. "Mmm-hmm. Wow, dogs sure are something else. You know, Magnus looks like a pretty special dog. And I'm sure he must be a handful for Carly all by herself. I wonder if Magnus would enjoy staying in our garage for a few weeks or-!"

"DON"T. YOU. DARE!" Jack said abruptly. "You want that THING in our house? Magnus, the same dog who's been causing me grief, misery, and loveless nights from my girl for the past few months! Are you people **mad** or just plain **stupid**?"

The three friends glanced at each other; Bruno dared to speak up. "Um, is that a trick question? Or are you just being mean again?"

Jack shot him a glare that could melt the skin off a tree. Bruno shrugged back fearfully and gulped. "Eh, never mind."

"Calm down, Jack." Yusei intervened, "We were only messing with you. You made it very clear back at the garage that you and Magnus hate each other's guts."

Crow shrugged and sipped his soda. "I don't see why, though. You two know zilch about each other, and yet you carry on like you two have been together for years. I just can't see why you have to hate a dog that barely did anything to you."

"What?" Jack was furious now, and not only because everyone was talking about Magnus in a good way. "Has everyone forgotten that your 'wonder pup' over there nearly used me as a chew toy from day one!"

Bruno gets his composure back and sits up straight on the bench. "Easy, Jack. Calm down. I think Crow has a point."

"What the-? You're taking sides with Carrot-Top?"

"Not really. I just think bird brain is on to something."

"Hey!" Crow broke in, "Just because I'm a red head with a love for birds don't mean this isn't an insult!"

"Sorry, Crow." Said Bruno, "Anyways, Jack, maybe you and Magnus are judging each other a little unfairly. I know you haven't exactly had the best life around, but what about Magnus? Didn't you tell us that Carly said that he crashed into her one night and he looked scared to death?"

Jack, now calm and listening, sat back down and scratched his chin. "Mmm…Yes, she did mention that. So?"

"So? Poor Magnus could be an abused dog who escaped from a horrible owner. Or worse, he was dog-napped from his home and forced to become a working dog to pull heavy objects or risk being whipped to death!"

As Bruno stops, everyone stares at him like he grew a second head or something. Bruno coughs nervously and continues. "All I'm saying is that it won't hurt anyone to get to know Magnus a little more, especially you. See life through his doggy eyes and you might learn something."

Jack just rolled his eyes and sighed. "Okay. One, from beginning to end, you sounded no different from Carly. Two, you're only saying that because he didn't bury any of your shoes in the backyard during a thunderstorm. And three, I'm only praying that the walking throw pillow over there will keep his razor sharp jaws closed long enough for me to drop him back at Carly's after I take him to the vet!"

Once again, all three of Jack's "friends" blinked at each other. "You're taking him to a vet, Jack?"

"Unfortunately. Carly asked me to drag that beast there at 3 o'clock to check for bruises or heartworm or something. Personally, I hope they snip his 'dog bones' off."

Yusei laughed silently. "That's a very interesting way to look at it, Atlas."

"Whatever." Jack stood up from the bench and pulled out a red dog leash from his pocket. "I'm off to drag the mutt there and get it over with. Wish me a lil' luck will ya, guys?"

"Luck?"

"Luck that I come back with all my toes and fingers. Bye."

Jack strolls over to Magnus, who was rolling belly up in the tall grass. Jack straightens out the leash and takes the lock in his hand. However, once Magnus hears Jack coming to him, he stands up and starts growling at him. Jack shivers back defensively and bends down on one knee.

"Easy, boy." Jack coaxes, "I'm not here to attack you. I just need to walk you over to the vet clinic for a few vaccines. It will keep you healthy and make Carly very happy. Understand?" Magnus blinks at him several times before sitting down and barking once. "I'll take that as a yes." Jack fastens the lock on the back of Magnus' collar, and gently leads him to the sidewalk. Magnus follows behind silently, too tired from the rough playing he's done to bark or complain. All Magnus can do is pant merrily and wag his long furred tail.

As Jack and Magnus jogged quickly down the street, there was a loud rustle from a couple of bushes on the side of the road. From a green-leaf and white-flowered shrub, Mr. River slowly popped his head out and watched Jack and Magnus pace up the street. Before they were out of sight, he took out a black high-powered camera and silently snapped pictures of the two as they ran. He especially took pictures of Magnus, who hopped happily along the trail without a care in the world. A second commotion from the bush next to him revealed Mr. Boulder, who was unusually shaky and itching the skin underneath his clothes like crazy. His movements were causing loud noises from the fuchsia colored bush he was hiding in, more noise than River could take.

"Boulder! Will you stop!" hissed River, never taking his eyes away from the two."You want the whole area to know we're spying on a man and his dog from bushes?"

"Sorry, runt! I can't help myself! For some reason, I...can't...stop...being...itchy!" Boulder squealed as he struggled to scratch every portion of his sensitive body, which was becoming an uncanny dark pink color. "I'm itchy and hot all over! Even my moustache is prickly!"

River ignored Boulder and continued surveillance until Jack and Magnus are out of sight, then Agent River jumped out of the bushes and straightened himself to his full height. He was wearing a tight black vest with a large gold zipper dangling from the top of the collar, clean-cut long blue jeans, and dark red-and-black sneakers. Agent Boulder, still scratching, just toppled out of the bushes and began to rub his back on the round. He was wearing a beige long sleeved shirt, open gray jacket, matching gray quarter pants, and blue shoes. Boulder also had a pair of black sunglasses hanging from the front of his shirt. As Boulder flailed on the ground, River rolled his eyes and dragged his "commanding" officer by his shirt to his feet.

River gave a very disappointed look at his mentor. "Sir, I told you to stay in the bush next to me! I even tried to stop you from going in that shrub! And now, you're scratching like crazy and breaking out in a rash because of it."

Boulder fell back down and was whimpering silently, sitting on his hands to prevent himself from grating his flesh off. "B-Because of **it**? W-W-Wh-What makes you such a smarty pants, Smarty Pants?"

"You don't have to be a 'smarty pants' to know what poison oak is."

"Poison what?"

River rolled his eyes. "Never mind...Come, sir! We must pursue in silence before we lose visual on the target."

Boulder stood up shakily and blinked. "Right! Of course! Uh...which target are you talking about?"

"...The dog, sir."

"Oh! Oh, good! I thought you meant the female because, 'Ha!', I was thinking, 'Why were we trailing this guy you're so afraid of for the past four hours?"

River twitched lightly and turned back at Boulder, which made him shiver a little. "I am not _afraid_ of Mr. Atlas! I can totally handle someone who's taller than me, taller than you maybe! Besides, Atlas and Carmine are only the secondary objectives in the mission. Hurry! We must follow the dog!"

River and Boulder rush into their white van, Boulder sobbing in the passenger seat and River jamming he key in the ignition. The van roars to life and speeds after man and dog. River turns the corner sharply and speeds up the road towards the targets. Once Jack and Magnus were in sight, River releases the gas and presses a blue button on the dashboard. In a heartbeat, the van's engine suddenly dies down to a low murmur and rolls its wheels on the gravel; The van's special stealth mode allows the agents to sneak behind Magnus and Jack in broad daylight in absolute silence.

Almost...

There was a loud barrage of scratching noises that were penetrating River's right ear.

"Boulder! I told you to stop fussing around so much! You will give away our position!"

"Don't yell at me! I'm dying over here!"

River moaned heavily, then instructed Boulder to reach into the glove box and take out the first aid kit. Inside, Boulder found a new bottle of rubbing alcohol and a bottle of calamine lotion with mugwort plant oil. "Listen carefully, sir. I'm going to drop you on a bus stop, where a bus that will be heading near our house will be arriving within 5.2 minutes. When you get home, take a long, cool shower for about an hour or two. Use the rubbing alcohol instead of regular soap, and make sure you dump all of your clothes in the wash. Apply the lotion after you air dry your body to...!"

River turns his head sharply to see that Boulder has not only completely ignored his instructions, but he is now dumping both the lotion and the alcohol over his head. Boulder only stops when he realizes that, instead of relief, the burning sensation on his body seems to be slowly getting worse...

River gave Boulder a look that, if he talked, said _'Not again, Boulder...'_ . "Okay, new plan. I'm going to make a U-turn and drop you off to the hospital we just passed a few blocks down. While your treated for a hopefully...eh, possibly severe infection, I will pursue the targets to the veterinary clinic and continue with the rest of the mission solo. Agreed?"

At this point, Boulder's face was red and swollen to twice its size, tears and saliva was dripping uncontrollably down his face. "Okay." was all he was able to mutter through his inflated lips. River turns the van a full 180 degree turn and sped back down the hill to the infirmary at the end of the road. Meanwhile, Jack and Magnus enters the veterinary health center in unusual sync. As the door slammed behind them, Magnus suddenly stops and whips his head around. A soft whine that escapes his mouth catches Jack's attention.

"What?" Jack asks, "What is it?"

Magnus uncurled himself and shook his shaggy head. Jack guessed that was doggy talk for "_Nothing_". With a thoughtless shrug, they continued to the front desk to sign Magnus's papers.


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13:**

Jack and Magnus were sitting in a comfortable red waiting room loveseat, inching as far away from each other as long as the leash will allow. Jack pressed himself against the wooden handle on the right side of the sofa, and Magnus was seated tail-tucked on the left side. Neither man nor beast made direct eye contact or motioned near each other. Jack kept staring at the clock slowly ticking on the wall, and Magnus refused to look at anything else but the timber front door. Magnus and Jack were twitching slightly, as if the cool air that blew in from an open window was actually an icy blizzard. The only other beings in the waiting room were four people and three pets, two of which do not have pets.

At the front desk, two female teenage receptionists were typing on two separate computers. Both girls had short black hair, light brown eyes, curved bodies and black nails. They were both in white nurses' outfits and wore small medical hats. The girls were so symmetrical in appearance, that Jack was startled when he approached the desk to sign in. He believed that they stepped into some creepy horror movie or something, but that's just because the closest thing that Jack has seen to equally alike people before was Leo and Luna. Simple Jack didn't know that these twins and the fraternal twins were two completely different things. Magnus didn't even notice the girls; he barely noticed when Jack jerked at his collar to sit on the couch. He just kept staring directly at the door, as if he expected it to dance for him. In the couch across from them, an elderly woman with white hair and reflective glasses was sitting with a little dog wrapped in her arms. She hummed a cheerful tune as the small, cinnamon-furred Chihuahua slept happily in her hands. Next to her was a small boy with brown hair, green eyes, a green hat, and matching green clothes. He was reading a bunch of thick sitting room magazines, flipping quickly through each one before discarding it for the next. On the cushion in between the woman and the boy, there was a small cage with a pair of weasels scurrying around in them. The bigger weasel was dark brown with a coal-black nose and eyes, and the smaller weasel was cream-white with a red nose and red eyes. They squeaked nosily as they wrestled in the tiny wire pen, climbing on the bars and nipping at each other's tails for fun.

The old woman stroked the small dog gently as she glanced at the playmates next to her. "Those are lovely little critters, dearie." Spoke the woman.

The little boy glanced up momentarily before he continued reading the rest of the magazines. "Yeah, they're cool. Eddy and Fifi like to play around with each other too much though, but they make good pets." He eyes the little pooch questionably until it woke up and started to shake in fear; the poor dog was afraid of, well, pretty much anything. "That's a nice pooch there, lady."

"Thank you, sweetheart. Brave's such a good dog, but he's been shivering too much lately. I fear he may be coming down with something." The woman rubs Brave's fur gently as he eyed the cage, shaking vigorously. Eddy and Fifi stopped wrestling with each other, and decided to pick on someone else. After an exchange of winks, they arched their backs, had their fur stand on ends, and gave very loud hisses at Brave. Brave gave a shrilling cry, and the next thing you know, he's cowering inside the hanging chandelier 8 feet off the ground. Everyone stares up at Brave in awe, all except for the weasels, which were rolling on their sides and laughing.

There was a buzz from the answering machine at the twins' desk. The first twin, her nametag said Mackenzie, pushes a red button and the girls listened to the illegible muttering projected from the speaker. After a while, the speaker clicks off and both girls stand up.

The second twin, Madison, is the one to call to the patients. "Everyone, all of your doctors are open and ready for you. Please come up for your room numbers."

Everyone and their pets stand and made their way to the counter. (Brave jumps out the chandelier into the woman's arms after Fifi and Eddy are gone.) Animal and owner line up behind the counter as the twins type up the emailed appointments on the computers. Madison and Mackenzie print up the emailed appointments and direct everyone to a closed door. One girl pushes the door open for the visitors and the other was ready to hand out printed flyers. (I lost track of which twin is who! Sorry…)

"Ok," said the twin holding the papers. "Fifi and Eddy's scheduled blood work will be held in the first room at the right. Shut the door behind you and Dr. Jacobson will be with you shortly." She handed the boy the flyer and made his way through the corridor without a word, the weasels rattling a ruckus in their carrier.

"Dr. Mikener, appointed to Brave, will be in the third door on the left. She will meet your dog momentarily for his vaccinations." The woman thanked her and headed to the medical room, Brave still big eyed and trembling like the scared puppy he is.

The secretaries smiled at Jack as he approached. "Mr. Atlas, Dr. Ediug will meet with you at the middle room, all the way at the end. He'll be waiting for Magnus' first checkup."

"Thank you." Jack takes the flyer and starts down the hall, only to stop when the leash won't move with him. Magnus is turned completely away from him, staring at the door with such intense.

"Magnus!" He snaps out of his trance like a deer out of the headlights. He rushes to Jack's side unusually obedient. "You're acting very strange, mutt. And I'm not just saying that because you haven't tried to sink your teeth into me in a while. You trying to act all innocent so the doc won't snip ya? Or…are you waiting for a cute little she-dog back at the park?" Jack teased.

Magnus walked with Jack like a ghost or a zombie; he was a shell of the dog he was a few hours ago, silent and shaking. As they entered the room to Dr. Ediug's office, Jack became a little more concerned about Magnus. He figured there really was something seriously wrong with Magnus. The small, white room had a medium-sized examining table against the wall, two green guest chairs at the opposite corner, and a short wheeled chair in the center. It looked like a regular visit to the doctor for Jack, except with all of the cute doggie pictures hanging from the walls. Gently tugging on his leash, Jack led Magnus to the table and coaxed him onto the flat, metal surface. After Magnus hopped on without so much as a whimper, Jack tied his leash to a nearby coat hanger and sat himself in one of the guest chairs. Jack stares at Magnus, who continues to look at the door down the hall.

Jack shifts uncomfortably in the chair, curious about Magnus' bizarre behavior. _What is that mutt up to? One minute he's hyper and trying to bite my head off, and the next second he's worse than a squirrel that's been ran over by a car! It could be because I've been hanging around that begging rascal so long, but I think he's worried about something. But what could a dog be so worried about? I wonder what goes on through his mind when he's all quiet like this…_

_She's coming. _Magnus whines silently. _She's coming! I can smell her! Why does Jack have to keep me here? I'm nervous enough as it is with that doctor checking me for anything. Aaaugh! Where is he! I want to leave this torture chamber as soon as physically possible!_

As if on cue, a man in a medical lab coat and a clipboard steps in and closes the door behind him. He was a very tall, middle age man with short blonde hair and extremely fair skin. He maneuvers around the room effortlessly while etching away on his clipboard, never looking up for one second. Jack and Magnus watch him trek around the room in silence; Jack stares at him blankly and Magnus is fighting the urge to bite him. Finally, the man stops writing with a loud click from his pen and looks up at the duo.

"Greetings!" shouts the doctor, "My name is Dr. Thaddeus Ediug, and I will be Magnus' veterinarian. Now, Mr. Atlas, I would like for you to fill out some paperwork and sign a few legalization forms. Then I can get started on your dog. They're notarization papers stating that you have given me permission to-"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, stuff you gotta do. Listen, doc, I'll fill this thing out if you hurry up and check up on the mutt. I ain't got all day to waste in here." Jack reluctantly read the boring documents and began writing down his insignia anywhere he can, while Dr. Ediug put on a pair of latex gloves and began to examine Magnus. The blue-furred canine barely noticed Dr. Ediug as he showed a light into his ear.

Jack scratched his head at all of the complicated and personal questions on the sheet, especially at the questions that involved his relationship with Magnus. "Dr. E, what does this mean? 'Pet license number', what?"

Dr. Ediug was going through the back of Magnus' fur with a fine tooth comb, possibly looking for fleas or mites. "His legalization number, Mr. Atlas. You know, from the pound or kennel? The kennel that you adopted this dog from should've provided all of the necessary paperwork for you up front."

"One: I didn't adopt that thing, my girl did. And two: She said the mutt crashed into her one night and she invited it into her home. If there was any paperwork on the fleabag, she did it, not me."

"Who is your girl, Mr. Atlas?"

"Carly. She my girlfriend and the one that's housing that mongrel. I only brought him here because she asked me to, batting her eyes and everything. Pathetic, right?"

"Not at all, Mr. Atlas. I see nothing wrong with doing a young lady a favor." Magnus whined a little as the doctor forced open his mouth to examine his teeth. Dr. Ediug was extremely careful not to pressure him too much, since Magnus' teeth were sharper than any kitchen knife. "Are there any concerns you want to raise about Magnus, like illnesses or unusual behavior?"

Jack stopped scribbling in the clipboard and looked hard at Magnus, although Magnus didn't even acknowledge his fiendish glare. "Yeah, how 'bout you introduce him to the Ol' Clip-and-Snip! Or something that will stop that thing from biting!" Jack joked.

Dr. Ediug instantly stopped his examination and gave a hard look at Jack. "Sir! If your dog is attacking people because of some past trauma or the mistakes of a previous owner, you must keep him away from other people before he seriously hurts someone! Whatever possessed you to let him go out of control is beyond-?"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Easy, professor!" Jack defended as he was backed into a corner, literally. "As far as I know, and care, that thing has only had it out for me! It acts all innocent towards my girl, and he won't touch the leg of anyone else. That walking fur ball has had it out for me ever since day 1! Honest!"

The doctor softens up and backed away from Jack. "I apologize. When you're in my field, you see many good animals turn evil because careless owners don't know how to raise them properly. Then it's the animal that has to suffer because of that same carelessness, and then they are leashed unjustly or put down. It's sickening." Dr. Ediug resumes his examination of Magnus, who hasn't moved at all. "So, Mr. Atlas, are you sure you haven't done anything to enrage Magnus?"

"No!" Jack paused. "Well, we did have a rough first encounter. He's normally docile, but only whenever Carly says for him to behave. And he always tries to nip me whenever I so much as hug her!"

While Jack and Dr. Ediug exchanged more questions and answers, Magnus suddenly lifted his head and sniffed the air several times. He relaxed a little and stood strait up, wagging his tail happily and panting. _I…I think she's gone! Thank goodness! If she found me, there would've been a lot of trouble for everyone here! I'm sure Jack could've fended them off, but Carly…I would never forgive myself if anything happened to her…By the way, where is Carly? And where am I, again?_

Dr. Ediug removes his gloves, shoves them into a hazard bin, and takes the clipboard from Jack. After scrawling down more notes and bulletins, he walks back over to Magnus and reaches for something in his shirt pocket. "Well, Mr. Atlas, it sounds like nothing more than a simple case of territorial dominance. You, Magnus, and Ms. Carly are all a pack to him, and you all have different roles. In the wolf ranking system, it would make the most sense that Magnus sees Carly as the Alpha female; she is the leader of the pack and all others obey her. Magnus would've placed himself as the Beta male, a subordinate of the Alpha and will only listen to the Alpha female, reference Carly."

Jack scratched his head at all of these confusing animal facts and wolf rankings. "So, if he's the Beta and Carly the Alpha _female_, that that means that I'm the Alpha male! Right?"

Dr. Ediug rolled his eyes. "Well, normally yes, but if what you're saying is true, than no. It seems that Magnus finds you best suited as the Omega male; the weak, pathetic underling who normally gets picked on by the other wolves."

"WHAT?"

"Sorry about that, Mr. Atlas." Dr. Ediug patted Magnus on the head and removed his hand from his pocket, revealing a large dog biscuit in his hands. Magnus avidly gobbled up the treat in one gulp, and licked the doctor's face when he was done. "But Magnus here seems to be a healthy, happy, loyal dog. I see nothing wrong with him, nor any reason to neuter him. I suggest if you put a little more effort into training him, then you two might-?"

Jack suddenly bolted up from his spot. "MIGHT NOTHING! Doc, I want this…beast under control by day's end, and I don't care how expensive, or painful, it will be for the both of us. I'm sure that if I sweet talk my girl the right way, she can handle all of the-AAAH!"

Magnus has snapped out of his tipsy daze and resumed his normal activities; and by this, I mean yapping at Jack and trying to bite at his leg. Jack and Magnus dash around the room like crazy, careful not to break anything or tip over any of the doctor's equipment. Dr. Ediug just stood there and stared in shock at the unusual relationship between man and beast. As a veterinarian, he felt he should call for assistance and a sedative, but instead he just sat in his chair and looked over his charts.

Outside of the pet clinic, River was in another bush beside the main entrance. Like a ninja in the dead of night, Mr. River maintained absolute silence as he made his way to the clinic's front door, wary for anyone to spot him and blow his cover. As River carefully climbed up the side of the building and landing on the roof with cat-like reflexes, the phone in his back pocket started to vibrate. Thankful that he remembered to silence the phone before moving on, River flipped it open fluidly and whispered a hello.

River talked while peeking through a skylight on the roof. "Agent River here."

"River, It's Cavern"

River literally twitched like crazy and almost freaked out right there! If River has had any possible reason to worry about something or to be scared to death, this was a pretty damn good cause. What unholy act Boulder or River (Mostly Boulder) has done to make Ms. Cavern call his cell directly, he sure wished he checked the caller I.D. before answering; he also hoped she was in a (rare) good mood.

"Yes Madame Cavern Agent River reporting for duty Madame Cavern I am here to serve you Madame Cavern what can I do for you Madame Cavern? Gasp, gasp, gasp, cough!" Whenever she contacted him, River had a hard time remembering **not** to speak fast and exhale at the same time.

There was an icy chuckle at the other end of the line. "Easy, River. You and your teammate are in no trouble whatsoever. I just thought I would call and…gather information on what you have on The Target so far."

Without hesitation, River quickly gave Ms. Cavern any available information on Magnus and his status. Where he lived, what people he's come in contact with, how he reacts with them, everything. River was just about to brief her on Magnus' current location, when Ms. Cavern ordered him to stop.

Like a child caught in the act, River was very picky about his next sentence. "Is there s-something wrong, Ms. Cavern?"

Cavern's voice has about as much life and emotion in it as a cemetery in the arctic. "There is no need for me to receive information on The Target's current whereabouts. I took the liberty of finding that out for myself. It wasn't hard, even though The Target did try to pinpoint me on multiple occasions. Heh, it's as if it can track me like a metal detector or something."

_Yeah, mainly because there IS metal where your heart should be…_"You did? I mean, yes, of course. As you can well imagine, ma'am, finding Magnus is the easiest part of the mission. Retrieving him has proven to be quite more challenging."

There was an unnerving silence on the other line. River did not dare breathe before Ms. Cavern said anything. "What did you say, River?"

"I-I said that retrieving him will be a little-?"

"Did you just give it a name?"

River's throat was clogged with his heart; he barely made a word as she continued. "Since when does that thing have the privilege to a name? Since when it is alright with you to give it an identity? Why would you even **consider** giving that thing a name for itself?"

River was shivering on the roof. "I…I'm sorry ma'am…I-I didn't…I mean…"

"As far as we care, _River_, that thing is nothing more than a target. That thing, wagging its tail without a care in the world, is a faceless beast in the crowd that did nothing to deserve a name. The only reason why anyone should care to give it a name is because it has _earned _its title! Until then, it should not have a name! IT. IS. NAMELESS! Understand?"

River has crawled into a fetal position on the top of the building. "It…I….I didn't name him-it ma'am! It was the girl, Carly, and her boyfriend! Honest!"

There was another eerie pause on the line. "Really? Very well, River. I apologize for snapping at you. Do you accept my apology, Mr. River?"

"Yes! Yes, I do!"

"Good." There was one final pause as River steadied his heartbeat. "River, as soon as Boulder recovers from his…accident, maintain visual and radio silence. Observation only. If you do manage to separate The Target from the secondary targets, bring him back immediately. Until then, observe until further orders. Understand?"

"Yes, Ms. Cavern!"

"Excellent. Cavern out." There was a loud click on the line, and a dead dial tone followed quickly.

River was left quivering on the roof, twitching lightly and staring with hollow eyes at absolutely nothing. He tried to move, but all he can do was shift his arms, dropping his phone and hug his legs close to his body. River could hear the phone as it clattered off the roof and feel into the bush at the bottom, as well as his own heavy breathing. His chest painfully rose and fell as River struggled to take in fresh air, to calm himself down. He was almost too scared to progress, even though he was sitting on a roof in the middle of the day. The sun was high, but River couldn't feel its warmth or see its solar rays. Whenever Ms. Cavern yelled at anyone, there was no such thing as warm or heat anymore. All he can feel was the dark, sub-zero chills Cavern's words had burned onto his skin. River promised himself to get back in the game soon, to continue and complete the mission; he just…needed a minute.


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14:**

Inside the clinic, Dr. Ediug's door was closed and, for some reason, locked. When Mackenzie and Madison were both eyeing Dr. Ediug's door warily because, for the first time in almost five years, the door to his office was locked with the patients still inside. Dr. Ediug doesn't normally lock his door; he's confident that the animals are well behaved and will not try to run away, so he felt that there was no need to. The twins stared at the door, curiously wondering what could be so important about a tall blonde man and a blue-gray dog…

"Okay, okay, hold him gently…"

"YIPE!"

"Mr. Atlas, I said GENTLY!"

"That is being gentle! To me, anyways..."

"(Sigh) Just, put your hands over his muzzle and I will administer the anesthetic."

"Hold still, Maggie."

"Grrrr! Woof! Woof!"

Inside the enclosed examination room, Jack and Dr. Ediug were holding down Magnus on top of the examination table. Dr. Ediug has his entire body over Magnus' flank and hind legs, while Jack held onto Magnus' forelegs with one hand and his snout in the other. Magnus was lying on his side and wiggling underneath the two men, fruitlessly trying to escape; the two grown men's weight combined was just too heavy for him to push off. Amidst the struggling, Dr. Ediug manages to gently pinch together a fleshy area on Magnus' side and hold it. "Okay, big boy, I understand you're not a fan of needles, bit I assure you that this will only take less than a second."

Magnus wasn't comforted by Dr. Ediug's words. As a matter of fact, he even began to struggle twice as hard and shook his head violently. Jack had to pin him with most of his body while Dr. Ediug quickly administered the sedative. Magnus yipped as the needle pricked his skin and then whined as he felt the anesthetic enter his bloodstream, worming underneath his skin like a tight school of fish in a pond. After what felt like forever, Magnus soon stopped struggling, and then slowly became limp. As Dr. Ediug removed and recycled the needle tip into a hazard container, Jack released Magnus and supported his head. Magnus appeared dead in Jack's arms, aside from the steady breathing and occasional reflex.

"Hey, uh, doc." Jack started, "Magnus is going to be alright, right? It's not that I'm worried about him or anything, it's just that…well…he's my girl's mutt, and-"

Dr. Ediug approached the table with freshly-gloved hands and started to check Magnus' paws. "Do not worry, Mr. Atlas. Magnus is just fine. The tranquilizer I administered to him is a very weak dose, diluted with mostly mineral water and liquid vitamins. He will be like this for a while, but he should come two in about an hour."

"Oh, right. I knew that! By the way, why did you sedate him? Are you going to operate on him?"

Dr. Ediug checked Magnus' back by applying pressure points in his spine. "No, uh, that was actually because he wouldn't sit still long enough for me to examine him." While Magnus snored quietly, Dr. Ediug finished his tests quickly and jotted his results on the clipboard. Jack watched from the visitor's chair quietly as the veterinarian inspected Magnus' padded feet, checked for any fleas and ticks in his fur, and examined his irises with an ophthalmoscope. (It's that long, black, flat thing with a light in it that the doctor looks at your eye with!)

Outside of the clinic, A gray van drives into the parking lot and stops perfectly in an empty spot. After some figiting from the inside, the driver's door bursts open and a wobbly man steps out. His entire head is completely wrapped in white medical bandages, leaving him absolutely blind and staggering everywhere around the car. He even fell to the ground several times and got back up almost too quick, causing him to stagger even more. (I don't know how he was able to drive like that, so don't ask me!) The man, after some close calls with street signs and oncoming traffic, approached the walkway to the vet clinic in one piece. He trips on the first step and falls flat on his face with a loud thud. River, who has been resting on the roof this entire time, snaps out of his daze and looks over the edge. He sees the bandaged man lying on the pavement and immediately jumps down to his side, afraid that he might be hurt or worse.

River pulls the man to his shaky feet and straightens him. "Sir? Sir, are you alright?"

The man pats his hands all over River's face, much to River's dislike; he was able to tolerate the stranger's foolishness until he pulls River's nose. "YOWCH! SIR! Please, we need to get you to a hospital. I don't think you should be out and about with that bandage all over your-? What the…"

It was then that River notices that this total stranger is wearing his mentor's exact same outfit from this morning. Come to think of it, he also walks a little like Mr. Boulder and is his exact height!

Boulder steps forward and pats River's head again. "Wifer?"

"Mr. Boulder?" River said with a surprise. "Wh-What are you doing here? How did they let you out of the hospital?! WHY DIDN'T YOU TAKE OFF YOUR BANDAGES?!"

(Boulder tries to answer River's quiestions, but with the bandage encased over his head and his mouth barely open, all of his words were slurred and mumbled. Also, there's some anesthetics in his blood. In short, he sounds like a cross between a drunk hillbilly, talking with your fingers jammed up your nose, and one of the mumbling "wah-wah-wah" adults from Charlie Brown that you NEVER see.)

What Boulder said: "I got here by driving the extra car, which is pretty cool since I can't see anything in this stupid mask. When I heard that I would be okay, I (kinda) snuck out and came down here to help you with 'the mission', 'cuz that's the guy I am! But in hind sight, I probably should've waited until they took of the bandages or gave me permission to leave and stuff. Anywho, how is the mission?"

What River heard: "Why go bear bi divi ve veva ka, shish esh kiity wool seence why camp sieve manyting em fis stookid mash. Wren e hearve bat why should bee mokay, why (finda) shuck out end came wown where chew help yew with 'the miffin', juz what's the dye why am! Lut n gind slight, why robedliy chould've laited wunfil whey shook off the tangeres or shave me terrifing ku leaf when fluff. Rainydoo, dow es the miffin?"

**(Insert cricket sounds here)**

Mr. River just stared at his bubbling partner like he grew a second head. "Um, well, uh…nevermind. Okay, I'll brief you in! The target is inside with two fully sized males, possibly one of his owners and the licensed veterinarian. We need to infiltrate the facility and quietly sneak out with the target before there's any trouble, sir."

Boulder motioned towards the front door, avoiding the remaining steps, and felt for the handle to the closed door. River pulled his hands away before Boulder could successfully unlock the door. "Sir, we need to treat this mission delicately! If we walked in there looking too wei…uh…I mean, suspicious, they might call the cops! We can't risk bringing the local authoritites into our objective! Understood?!"

Mr. Boulder was only able to briefly nod before the front door swung open, revealing the receptionist (Madison, probably?) staring at the two of them; her rush arrival has barely given River or Boulder any time to come up with a good excuse for being at a pet hospital with no pets.

Madison stared at both boys, Boulder longer than River. "Uh, hello?"

"Greetings." Said River.

"Mollo." Said Boulder.

(Sorry about earlier; it was really Mackenzie!) Mackenzie stepped onto the walkway and stared down the two men. "Excuse me, but you two are making a lot of noise out here! Unless this is an animal related emergency. I must ask that you both leave. NOW."

River was the first to react. "NO! I mean…this IS an emergency!"

Mackenzie just stared at him. "Really? Then where's the animal?"

River darted his eyes to follow up the excuse, when he noticed Mr. Boulder and his mummified head. "HIM! He's the emergency!"

"He is?"

"Mi am?"

"YES!" River directed a hard gaze at Boulder; it was so strong, that Boulder didn't even need his eyes to shiver. "Don't you remember, neighbor? That wild…uh…badger sprang up out of the bushes and nearly clawed your face apart. Wow, we were luckly that the doctor cleaned up the wounds at the hospital! He said my neighbor will be fine, but I needed to bring him here for a shot!"

River was beginning to sweat because Mackenzie didn't look like she was buying it. "A shot? For what? He's already fixed up!"

"Yeah…well…the doctor said that my neighbor needed a booster shot for…uh…"

"MAVIES!" Shouted Boulder.

"Mavies? …Oh, rabies! Yes! The hospital didn't have any rabies shots, so he brought us here! Is it alright if we came inside for the shot? Please! His brain could be swelling as we speak!"

"Mellon?"

"No, sweetheart, he said swelling." Said Mackenzie. "Alright, alright. It's a little unorthadox, but we'll have a look at your friend here. Although, the hospital should have plenty of rabies shot…" Mackenzie muttered to herself as River led Boulder inside to the front desk. There, Madison helped Boulder sign in and wait for the doctor.

Seizing the opportunity, River walks over to Mackenzie. "Excuse me, but where is your bathroom."

"Huh?" said Mackenzie, "Oh, it's, um, up the stairs, down the hall, and on your left. There are signs there and everything."

"Thank you. Boul-I mean, sir?" Boulder was jotting down his fake information on the clipboard. (Still not sure how he can see…) "I'll be right back. Just stay. Right. There." And with that, River was gone in a heartbeat.

River was racing down the hall, carefully picking his way between "I've got to locate the subject before that quack discovers something he shouldn't have! That fool and his mate think they're housing some stray pet, but he's more dangerous than anyone thinks! I have to find Magnus before…before, **she **does…"

River's heartbeat was racing as he looked through the open doors of every room except the locked room (Dr. Ediug's room) which he quickly brushed off as a closet or something. River's feet picked up as he moves from place to place, oblivious to what was inside.

Magnus suddenly began to whine softly, his feet twitching as if trying to escape. He soon began to shake and shutter, growling while his eyes were still closed. Jack and Dr. Eduig rushed to Magnus' side, holding him down to make sure he doesn't fall off of the table.

Jack was really starting to worry about Magnus at this point. "Doc, what the hell is wrong with him?! I thought you said that stuff was nothin' but vitamins!"

"It is!" Dr. Eduig defended, "He must be thrashing about because of some nightmare he's having!"

"Dog's have nightmares?"

"Oh, yes! And they can dream, too!" The doctor began to gently rub Magnus' head, calming him down in the process. Jack, unconcerned about the possibility of being attacked, started to comfort Magnus in the same manner. Magnus stopped thrashing his legs and whining, but he was still shaking like a leaf.

Dr. Ediug gently massaged Magnus' ear. "Poor thing, he must being seeing something horrific."

Jack raised his eyebrow. "What is horrific to a dog? Not getting his favorite chew toy?"

"Very funny. No, Mr. Atlus, it could just be some scary images. Or a past experience coming back to haunt him."

"Past experience?"

"Yes." Dr. Ediug returned to his notes on the clipboard, flipping through various pages. "According to the tests, Magnus has some old scarring along the back of his head and back, all near the skull and spinal regions. These scars are small and quite old, maybe from a few years. Since you and your 'girl' have had Magnus only for a short time, it's possible that he could be an escapee from an abusive or unsuitable owner." Dr. Ediug returned to scratching behind Magnus' ears, receiving a whine of comfort in return. "You can see now why I insist you find common ground with this 'mongrel'. He has shadows in his closet, Jack, dark ones. And even though he considers you the bottom of the food chain, you and Ms. Carly are still probably the best things that has ever happened to him."

Jack looks down mourningly at the blue dog, scratching his sides gradually to ease his pain. Dr. Ediug continues, "Do you understand what I am saying to you, Mr Atlas?"

Jack touches Magnus' nose gingerly, being careful not to rile up his nightmares again. "Yeah. Yeah, I think I do, Doc."

Magnus' eyes suddenly flutter open, and he glares at Jack with a start. Dr. Ediug jumps back, but Jack remains as he was. He gives Jack his usual growl-and-bark routine, getting ready for Jack to meet his threat. But Magnus is shocked to see that Jack is not phased by his intimidating presence; actually, Jack looks like Carly when she is worried about him. Jack and Magnus meet eye to eye, neither of them moving an inch. Then, Magnus did something he thought he would never do to someone like Jack; he nuzzles Jack's face and licks him like he would lick Carly for affection. Jack laughs and returns the act by taking his head with both hands and rubbing his fur, as if they were old friends. Dr. Ediug wasn't sure if Magnus has really turned over a new leaf, or if it's just the anesthesia messing up his head, but he couldn't help but smile at the two mismatched species.

After some laughing from all three, Dr. Ediug decided to act professional again. "(Ahem) Now that Magnus is awake and active, I am pleased to inform you that he passes with a clean bill of health." He writes down something on a small receipt pad, tears off the top page, and hands Jack the bill. His bottom jaw literally hits the floor when he sees the numbers at the bottom of the bill. Magnus is shocked to see the number as well; he wished he had that many bones in his backyard.

"ARE YOU &$! *^ KIDDING ME, DOC! I thought you said Maggie had a clean bill o' health!"

"He does." Dr. Ediug said with minimal emotion. "But since you and Ms. Carly have no insurance on Magnus, and he's an unlicensed dog with no clear pedigree papers. That would definitely cost you."

"YOU'VE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME! HOW THE HELL AM I SUPPOSED TO PAY THIS STEEP PRICE! YOU'LL BE HEARING FROM MY LAWYER!" Jack keeps barking at the doctor who remains his composure, while Magnus just sits there and stares at the two of them. _Oh, brother._ Whined Magnus. _I can't believed I actually had on of those 'moments' with Jack, like what you would see on those lazy sitcoms with their own audience track! I feel like a drunk…_

As Magnus, Jack, and Dr. Ediug continued their "conversation" behind closed doors, Boulder is seen walking down the hall in a stupor. Mackenzie and Madison are running after him, calling out "Mr. James" to stop and return to his seat. River makes it back down to the bottom floor after his fruitless search, sees Boulder waddleing away, and chases after him. Needless to say, everyone is busy with something and chasing after someone else. Now would be a good time to pan away from the scene and close the episode.

~(Sorry about the wait, you guys. I had to get back to this strange thing called a "life" for a few years, so I was forced to put my works on hiatus. But, I hope you've enjoyed this episode, aaanndd I promise to get more to you as soon as physically possible! Okay, bye!)~


End file.
